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Source Description
Few Central Asian luxury silks dating from the 900s–1000s have survived. Here the cotton wefts, together with thin, widely spaced silk warps, identify this example as Central Asian. Its date has been determined by comparing it with two related textiles that are securely dated. At this time Chinese silks with small-scale diamond patterns were usually reserved for undergarments or linings. The use of silver thread for the tiny diamonds in this example, however, may indicate that in Central Asia the design had greater importance. Over time, this textile made its way to Europe, where it was preserved in a church treasury. Because such textiles were expensive, rare, and sometimes associated with saints, they were highly valued regardless of their condition.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
156983
label
Textile with Diamonds
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
156983
contentType
object
title
Textile with Diamonds
description
Few Central Asian luxury silks dating from the 900s–1000s have survived. Here the cotton wefts, together with thin, widely spaced silk warps, identify this example as Central Asian. Its date has been determined by comparing it with two related textiles that are securely dated. At this time Chinese silks with small-scale diamond patterns were usually reserved for undergarments or linings. The use of silver thread for the tiny diamonds in this example, however, may indicate that in Central Asia the design had greater importance. Over time, this textile made its way to Europe, where it was preserved in a church treasury. Because such textiles were expensive, rare, and sometimes associated with saints, they were highly valued regardless of their condition.
date
1000s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79947101
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 51.5 x 30.3 cm (20 1/4 x 11 15/16 in.)
cul
Central Asia
accession
1993.139
Source extras
tec
silk, cotton, and silver thread: tabby with supplementary weft
tombstone
Textile with Diamonds, 1000s. Central Asia. Silk, cotton, and silver thread: tabby with supplementary weft; overall: 51.5 x 30.3 cm (20 1/4 x 11 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1993.139
collection
Textiles
didYouKnow
A complete selvage is preserved along one side of the fragment.
citations
citation
“1993 Annual Report.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 81, no. 6 (July 1994): 143–218.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 167
citation
Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. <em>When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles</em>. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Art: Distributed by H.N. Abrams, 1997.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no 12, pp. 50–51, fig. 7, p. 28
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:10:03.330000
sourceId
156983
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
silk, cotton, and silver thread: tabby with supplementary weft
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0be58ca92da0618c