The radial floral medallion was a popular design for embellishing Uygur festive dress for men and women. Its structural rendering reflects foreign influence, particularly the introduction of Buddhist idealised lotus-like flowers (baoxianghua or ‘precious image flower'), one of the most popular designs in Tang dynasty (618-907) for decorating textiles, metalwork, ceramics and mural paintings. Here, each medallion is embroidered in coloured floss silk, using a very fine chain stitch (suoxiu) - the most ancient form of Chinese embroidery, with the earliest surviving examples dating to the 4th century BC - and features an open flower at the centre, encircled by lobed cloud motifs and a scrolling branch of flowers.
Waistcoat such as this example in vivid red silk damask, characterised by four bands of brocaded silk applied at each side of the front opening, were distinctive garments worn by married women with children (juwan). It came into the Museum's collection as part of a set donated by George Sherriff (1898-1967), comprising a magenta coat, blue tunic, green trousers, a tasselled hat, and leather boots and overshoes (T.31 to 31F-1932). Sherriff, a renowned plant hunter, recorded that he acquired the pieces in Khotan, a large oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, which was famous for its high-quality jade and silk production.