Period:Tang dynasty (618–907) Date:early 8th century Culture:China Medium:Silk embroidery on plain-weave silk Dimensions:Overall: 12 1/4 x 12 1/8 in. (31.1 x 30.8 cm) Mount (with plexi cover): 15 x 14 1/2 in. (38.1 x 36.8 cm) Classification:Textiles-Embroidered Credit Line:Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1996 Accession Number:1996.103.2 Although symmetry is a basic element of Chinese design, the motif of a pair of confronted animals or birds on either side of a plant was not known in China until the opening of the silk routes in the second century B.C. The pattern seen on this embroidery—birds standing on lotus blossoms (a motif derived from Buddhist art)—was popular in the early Tang period.
Period:Tang dynasty (618–907) Date:early 8th century Culture:China Medium:Silk embroidery on plain-weave silk Dimensions:Overall: 12 1/4 x 12 1/8 in. (31.1 x 30.8 cm) Mount (with plexi cover): 15 x 14 1/2 in. (38.1 x 36.8 cm) Classification:Textiles-Embroidered Credit Line:Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1996 Accession Number:1996.103.2 Although symmetry is a basic element of Chinese design, the motif of a pair of confronted animals or birds on either side of a plant was not known in China until the opening of the silk routes in the second century B.C. The pattern seen on this embroidery—birds standing on lotus blossoms (a motif derived from Buddhist art)—was popular in the early Tang period.