Period:Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Culture:China Medium:Plain-weave silk brocaded with metallic thread Dimensions:29 1/8 x 13 in. (74 x 33 cm) Classification:Textiles-Woven Credit Line:Gift of Lisbet Holmes, 1989 Accession Number:1989.205 This textile represents the tradition of northern China's Jin dynasty, which was known for textiles brocaded in gold with offset asymmetrical motifs on a solid-colored background. The motif here is a coiled dragon with a flaming jewel. The coiled dragon, as a pattern for princes' robes, dates from the Tang dynasty and was also used for garments in the Song and Xixia dynasties. This example is an early instance of a dragon with five claws. It is woven in a variant of the brocading technique first seen in a Jin-dynasty princely tomb of 1162.
Period:Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Culture:China Medium:Plain-weave silk brocaded with metallic thread Dimensions:29 1/8 x 13 in. (74 x 33 cm) Classification:Textiles-Woven Credit Line:Gift of Lisbet Holmes, 1989 Accession Number:1989.205 This textile represents the tradition of northern China's Jin dynasty, which was known for textiles brocaded in gold with offset asymmetrical motifs on a solid-colored background. The motif here is a coiled dragon with a flaming jewel. The coiled dragon, as a pattern for princes' robes, dates from the Tang dynasty and was also used for garments in the Song and Xixia dynasties. This example is an early instance of a dragon with five claws. It is woven in a variant of the brocading technique first seen in a Jin-dynasty princely tomb of 1162.