Embroidery from a Cloud Collar: Ocean, Rocks, and Peonies
Unknown Artist
1300s
Medium
silk and silver thread, silvered paper; needleloop embroidery
Dimensions
63.8 × 60 cm · mounted: 69.8 × 67.3 cm
Classification
Embroidery
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1993.10
About this artwork
Against a deep blue satin ground, a peony tree emerges from an undulating sea. This embroidery was made using the needle looping technique, in which rows of detached loops are worked over silvered paper, attaching the ground only along the contours of the design. The design is filled with auspicious symbols, including the peony symbolizing wealth and honor, and the rock (shoushi 壽石) symbolizing longevity. There are small Buddhist symbols among the flowers, including the wheel of the law, a pair ...