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
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 ...