The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Cloth of Gold with Rabbit Wheels

Cloth of Gold with Rabbit Wheels

c. 1225–50
Silk and gold thread: lampas
Overall: 65.5 x 23.2 cm (25 13/16 x 9 1/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1993.140
Location: not on view

Description

Cloth of Gold with Rabbit Wheels Lampas; silk and gold thread Eastern Iranian world, about 1225-1260 The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1993.140 (Cat. no. 45) The lavish amount of gold-used here for both the pattern and the background-reflects the extravagant taste of the Mongols. Known as "cloths of gold," such textiles were primarily woven for the official costumes of the Mongol court. Repeated roundels enclose four rabbits that share two pairs of ears and run in a circle. This motif, known as an animal wheel, is very ancient in Asia. Rabbits are commonly found on eastern Iranian metalwork dating from around 1200. Although the Mongol conquest of the Eastern Iranian world had taken place (1220-22), traditional silk patterns continued to be produced through the mid-1200s.
  • ?–1993
    (Francesca Galloway, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1993–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1997. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 45, pp. 158–159
    Andrew, Sue. "Leaps and Bounds: Crossing Continents and Cultures." In The Three Hares: A Curiosity Worth Regarding. Tom Greeves, Sue Andrew and Chris Chapman, pp. 232-255. South Molton: Skerryvore Productions Ltd., 2016. Mentioned: pp. 37, 234, 240–241 Reproduced: p. 232
  • When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 26, 1997-January 4, 1998); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 26, 1997-January 4, 1998); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998); The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998).
  • {{cite web|title=Cloth of Gold with Rabbit Wheels|url=false|author=|year=c. 1225–50|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1993.140