Northern dynasties (386-581 A.D)

    This is a 1:1 warp-faced compound tabby, arranged in groups of blue and white warp ends. The repeat is 9cm in the warp direction and 13cm in weft. The rare design of this textile is constructed by intersecting frameworks of hexagons and paired S-shaped waves containing a layer of pearls and another layer of rolling clouds. The hexagons are filled with pearls in the center and symmetrical rolling clouds on the edges. Both frameworks have small eight-petalled floral buttons at their joints. There are two groups of animals within the frameworks, one of paired deer and lions and the other of deer and phoenixes. Similar patterns have been found on embroidered textiles of the Northern Wei period from the Mogao Grottos at Dunhuang, where combinations of adeer and a phoenix and one deer and one lion were also identified on a silk panel with dragon, phoenix and tiger motifs discovered in the Library Cave. (XZ)