Sogdian Coat with Tang Chinese lining, 700s, probably Uzbekistan, silk, weft-faced compound twill weave (samite), Cleveland Museum of Art.

This brilliant silk coat from the 8th century was presumably made for a young Tibetan prince. The outer fabric, a heavy samite, features paired ducks in roundels, a hallmark of silks from the ancient East Iranian civilisation of Sogdia. Meanwhile, the inner lining of a twill damask was made in China. Still in pristine condition after over 1000 years, the coat was perhaps never worn and used as a diplomatic gift for the then Tibetan empire which sought marriage alliances with China and Sogdia.