Textile with dragons and phoenixes
Not on view
This fragment is a rare example of cloth of gold—a textile of silk woven with gold thread—that was produced in China and Central Asia under the Mongol Yuan dynasty. The two lower roundels each feature a robust dragon chasing a flaming pearl; an upper row of three depicts phoenixes, now mostly lost. All are set against a ground of tiny gold hexagons.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.