Not currently on display at the V&A

The Stein Collection

Fragment
700-1000 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This fragment of plain woven brown wool has its short edges rolled and stitched. It is unclear what this textile would have been used for, although it is likely to have had a utilitarian function. It was recovered from the site of Mazartoghrak, which dates from the 8th to the 10th century AD.

The site is also part of an area of Central Asia we now call the Silk Road, a series of overland trade routes that crossed Asia from China to Europe. The most notable item traded was silk. Camels and horses were used as pack animals and merchants passed the goods from oasis to oasis. The Silk Road was also important for the exchange of ideas. Whilst silk textiles travelled west from China, Buddhism entered China from India in this way.

This textile was brought back from Central Asia by the explorer and archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943). The V&A has around 650 ancient and medieval textiles recovered from the Silk Road by Stein at the beginning of the20th century. Some are silk while others are made from the wool of a variety of different animals


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Stein Collection (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Plain woven wool and wool yarn, stitching
Brief description
Rectangular fragment made of plain woven brown wool
Physical description
Rectangular piece of plain weave brown wool. The short edges of the fragment are rolled and stitched. Cream coloured wool yarn entangled in the piece.
Dimensions
  • Length: 33.6cm
  • Width: 11.2cm
Style
Credit line
Stein Textile Loan Collection. On loan from the Government of India and the Archaeological Survey of India. Copyright: Government of India.
Object history
Attached to fragment is a circular paper label showing Stein number possibly in Stein's handwriting or that of his assistant, Miss F M G Lorimer.
Historical context
Near the shrine of Mazartoghrak in the Tarim Basin, Stein found a small plateau covered with pottery shards and an ancient rubbish mound. Within the heap were fragments of wooden tablets, sticks and paper, which he concluded were refuse from an ancient office. Most were inscribed with Indian Brahmi script, but documents in Chinese and Khotanese language also appeared. He also excavated coarse woollens and cottons along with weaving tools, such as clay loom weights and wooden combs. Stein dated the site to the period of Chinese control over the Tarim Basin, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) and he determined that it had been abandoned toward the end of the eight century AD, possibly due to desiccation of the land. The V&A holds, on loan, from Mazartoghrak, fragments of woven silk and wool, tapestry and parts of a string shoe.
Association
Summary
This fragment of plain woven brown wool has its short edges rolled and stitched. It is unclear what this textile would have been used for, although it is likely to have had a utilitarian function. It was recovered from the site of Mazartoghrak, which dates from the 8th to the 10th century AD.

The site is also part of an area of Central Asia we now call the Silk Road, a series of overland trade routes that crossed Asia from China to Europe. The most notable item traded was silk. Camels and horses were used as pack animals and merchants passed the goods from oasis to oasis. The Silk Road was also important for the exchange of ideas. Whilst silk textiles travelled west from China, Buddhism entered China from India in this way.

This textile was brought back from Central Asia by the explorer and archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943). The V&A has around 650 ancient and medieval textiles recovered from the Silk Road by Stein at the beginning of the20th century. Some are silk while others are made from the wool of a variety of different animals
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Wilson, Verity. 'Early Textiles from Central Asia: Approaches to Study with reference to the Stein Loan Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London', Textile History 26 (1) . Devon: David & Charles/Pasold Research Fund Ltd, 1995, pp.23-52.
  • Stein, Aurel, Serindia: Detailed Report of Exploration in Central Asia and Westernmost China Carried Out and Described Under the Orders of H.M Indian Government , 5 vols (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1921), vol. I, p. 210.
Other number
M.T.008.d - Stein number
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:STEIN.129

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdFebruary 2, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest