Cleveland Museum of Art

Samite with roundels of rosettes

Date

700s-800s

Medium

samite: silk

Culture

Iran

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This is one of a large number of silks woven with geometric designs that have traditionally been attributed to Sogdiana. However, the untwisted warps and light weight of the silk indicate that it was woven farther east in Central Asia where Sogdian influence was strong. Similar geometric patterns occur on clothing depicted in paintings found in the Khotan oasis. That region maintained close cultural and economic ties with Sogdiana. Whether this silk was woven in the Khotan oasis or elsewhere in Central Asia is not known.

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