Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
Although a number of Buddhist textiles produced in the Sino-Tibetan style survive, Central Asian embroideries from the same period are exceedingly rare. Here, a goddess standing on a lotus support and playing a bowed lute may be the personification of the sense of hearing. In Buddhism, the five senses were represented as female deities, each a different color (in this case, blue). The style of the figure, her hair, the form of her crown, the nervously ruffled hem, the scrolling scarves, and the rainbow halo with rays are Central Asian. This figure originally was part of a large hanging.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
153617
label
Celestial Musician
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
153617
contentType
object
title
Celestial Musician
description
Although a number of Buddhist textiles produced in the Sino-Tibetan style survive, Central Asian embroideries from the same period are exceedingly rare. Here, a goddess standing on a lotus support and playing a bowed lute may be the personification of the sense of hearing. In Buddhism, the five senses were represented as female deities, each a different color (in this case, blue). The style of the figure, her hair, the form of her crown, the nervously ruffled hem, the scrolling scarves, and the rainbow halo with rays are Central Asian. This figure originally was part of a large hanging.
date
1300s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79939578
genreSpecific
Embroidery
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 66.5 x 45 cm (26 3/16 x 17 11/16 in.)
cul
Central Asia
accession
1987.145
Source extras
tec
silk and gold thread over two layers of cotton, embroidery
tombstone
Celestial Musician, 1300s. Central Asia. Silk and gold thread over two layers of cotton, embroidery; overall: 66.5 x 45 cm (26 3/16 x 17 11/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1987.145
collection
Textiles
citations
citation
Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997.
page_number
pp. 199-201, reproduced in color, p. 200
citation
"Highlights from North American Collections." IDP News: Newsletter of the International Dunhuang Project, no. 49-50, Summer 2017, pp. 4-7.
page_number
7
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:56:04.851000
sourceId
153617
dept
Textiles
coll
Textiles
med
silk and gold thread over two layers of cotton, embroidery
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
de5f6b10ea21db8d