Gold-patterned Silk with Falcons and Heraldry
Unknown Artist
1360–1400
Medium
Silk, gold thread; a combination of two weaves (lampas)
Dimensions
40.3 × 24.8 cm · mounted: 45.1 × 28.6 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1943.283
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Instead of international designs, this splendid gold-thread patterned silk displays a mixture of heraldic and falconry emblems. Pairs of falcons stand on a main d’aigle, a heraldic charge consisting of a bird’s wing and claw. They alternate with a panache, or plumes, from an ostrich with an ornamental interlacement at its base. Traditionally panaches were helmet or hat ornaments, but here is a heraldic crest. Although European motifs form the pattern, the dramatic energy of asymmetrical Chinese ...