Cleveland Museum of Art

Pendant

Date

1300s

Medium

needleloop embroidery and knotting; silk, silvered paper, gilded paper and gold thread

Culture

China, 14th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Pendants were used extensively in Buddhist settings where they were attached to almost anything needing decoration: ritual objects, canopies, valances, pillars, and other architectural components. They could be made in a variety of ways. This example consists of a heading and six tiers, each embroidered separately and then attached, one to the next. The earliest known pendant of this type was found in Central Asia and dates from the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907). The 14th-century date of this pendant is indicated by the style of the flowers.

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