Headpiece (907–1125): Art, History and Details

Headpiece (907–1125) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Pair of Headpieces Embroidery; silk Liao Dynasty (907-1125) The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Lisbet Holmes 1995.109.a and 1995.109.b (Cat. no. 52) These headpieces are embroidered with butterflies, birds, animals, flowers, leaves, and delicate vine scrolls. In general, the design is related to the theme of the lotus pond, best known from Liao tomb paintings. Paired ducks or geese swimming in water and looking in opposite directions seem to have become popular in the north of China before spreading further south and to Central Asia. On the other hand, recumbent animals looking back are a Central Asian image that migrated to northern China. Headpieces of this shape, intersected by two bands and secured by ties, have a long history in northern China. A gold replica was found in a tomb dating as early as ad 500-550.

Object facts

• Title: Headpiece
• Date: 907–1125
• Culture: China, Liao dynasty (907-1125)
• Type: Embroidery
• Technique: embroidery, silk
• Dimensions: Overall: 22.3 x 53.8 cm (8 3/4 x 21 3/16 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1995.109.1

Collection credit

Gift of Lisbet Holmes

Further reading listed by the museum

• Watt, James C. Y, Anne E Wardwell, Anne E Wardwell, Morris Rossabi, Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Morris Rossabi, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1997.
• Zhao, Feng. "The Chronological Development of Needlelooping Embroidery." Orientations 31, no. 2 (February 2000). Hongkong: Pacific Communications, 1970.
• Vollmer, John, Thierry Prat, and Richard Sheppard. Silks for Thrones and Altars: Chinese Costumes and Textiles: from the Liao Through the Qing Dynasty. Paris: Myrna Myers, 2003.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.