Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D)

H28.5cm；W30cm

    Reconstructed from three fragments，this item shows a pair of confronted birds in a pearl roundel．The tails ofthe birds are curled up into a scroll．From the remaining images，the subordinate decorative element seems be a symmetrical floral motif in a cross．Judging from similar examples unearthed from Dulan, Qinghai, this textile is typical of the style of the Sogdians，a people fromcentral Asian．Structurally a 1：2 weft-faced compound twill，it uses the color maroon for ground and light yellow and green for figure，within tensely Z-twisted warp ends．It enjoyed its popularity during mid Tang dynasty．(XZ)