Cleveland Museum of Art

Brocade with Hares

Date

1200s–mid-1300s

Medium

Silk: tabby, brocaded; gold thread

Culture

Northern China, Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The motif of the hare among bushes may relate to the hunting activities of the Khitan, the Jurchen, and the Mongols. Hare hunts are recorded in the Liaoshi (History of the Liao Dynasty) and were often reported by envoys returning to China from the northern states. The asymmetry of the image in this textile is characteristic of Jin brocades. However, the paired (instead of single) warps reveal the influence of craftsmen from the eastern Iranian world and therefore dates the textile to the Mongol period.

The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.