Cleveland Museum of Art

Boot

Date

907–1125

Medium

Silk: tapestry weave; two kinds of metal threads

Culture

Northern China, Liao dynasty (907-1125)

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The kesi outer fabric of the boots is woven with pairs of phoenixes chasing a flaming pearl among clouds. The sections were carefully cut so that the flaming pearl occurs at the centers of the shin and calf, and at the top of the instep. To accommodate the particular cut and smaller area of the instep, the phoenixes were depicted slightly differently and the design was reduced in scale. The wide cut of the top of the boots enabled pants to be tucked inside. Skirts, jackets, robes, gloves, and a hat would have completed the outfit. Liao kesi is distinguished by its exceptional refinement. Considered a national specialty, it was used extensively for both clothing and furnishings. Not only were kesi robes worn by the Liao emperor, but they were sent to the Song emperor as imperial gifts. The once lavish use of gold and the Chinese-inspired phoenix motif suggest that the boots were made for a member of the Liao imperial family, probably a woman.

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