textile; 紡織品(Chinese) BM-1919-0101-0.52.+

Period:Tang dynasty Production date:9thC-10thC (circa)
Materials:silk, 絲綢 (Chinese),
Technique:woven, embroidered, 織造 (Chinese), 刺繡 (Chinese), satin stitch, complex gauze, 平繡 (Chinese), 羅 (Chinese),
Subjects:bird mammal,flower 鳥 (Chinese) 哺乳動物 (Chinese) 花 (Chinese)
Dimensions:Length: 31 centimetres Width: 18 centimetres

Description:
This rectangular fragment is embroidered in satin stitch on a dark green gauze, and has a backing of plain woven dark green silk. It was originally part of the border at the upper left-hand corner of Stein painting no. 52 (now in the British Museum), but was removed and separately preserved when the painting was mounted on a panel in c.1920. Most of the gauze has deteriorated and the only remains are those around the embroidered motifs of flowers, leaves, a flying bird and a running deer. Weave structures: a. 4-end complex gauze in dark green colour Warp: silk, untwisted, single, dark green, c.44 ends/cm; Weft: silk, untwisted, single, dark green, c.12 ends/cm. Weave structure: 4-end complex gauze b. Silk plain weave in dark green colour Warp: silk, untwisted, single, dark green, 35 ends/cm; Weft: silk, untwisted, single, dark green, 30 lats/cm. Weave structure: 1/1 plain weave. Embroidery: Threads: silk, Z twisted; Colour: white, yellowish green, dark green, yellow, red, light red, brown, dark brown, light blue etc. Stitch: satin stitch etc.
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Comments:This fragment originally formed part of the border at the top left-hand corner of Stein painting 1919,0101,0.52 (Whitfield 1983, pl.26). It was removed and separately preserved when the painting was mounted on a panel around 1920. Perhaps it had been used to repair the damaged border, or simply to fill a gap.A fragment of embroidered silk from the Pelliot collection (EO.1191/B) appears to belong to the same piece of textile.