Painted cloth
18th century
Medium
Ink and color on silk
Dimensions
18 3/4 x 25 15/16 in. (47.6 x 65.9 cm) (unframed); 25 3/4 x 32 7/8 in. (65.4 x 83.5 cm) (overall)
Classification
Textiles-Painted
Culture
China
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1944
Accession Number
44.48.1
Art Historical Context
This enchanting *Painted Cloth* from 18th-century China, through the Rogers Fund in 1944, graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art Asian Art department. Crafted by an unidentified artist luxurious silk using ink and color, it 18¾ x 25⅞ inches unframed (47.6 x 65.9 cm), expanding slightly when framed. As a rare example of painted textiles, it exemplifies how silk—China's ancient "fabric of emperors"—transcended clothing to become a canvas for artistic expression. During the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), such works flourished amid China's booming silk trade and refined painting traditions. Artisans ap...