The Stein Collection
Fragment
700-1000 (made)
700-1000 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This textile fragment is tapestry woven in red, brown, blue and pale blue bands with spots, scrolls and geometrical patterns. It is unclear what this textile would have been used for, although it is likely to have had an utilitarian function as well as a decorative purpose. It was recovered from the site of Mazartoghrak, which dates from the 8th to the 10th century AD.
The site is 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 by Stein at the beginning of the 20th century. Some are silk while others are made from the wool of a variety of different animals.
The site is 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 by Stein at the beginning of the 20th century. Some are silk while others are made from the wool of a variety of different animals.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Stein Collection (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Tapestry woven wool on plant fibre |
| Brief description | Tapestry woven wool in red, brown, blue and pale blue. |
| Physical description | Rectangular strip of polychrome tapestry weave composed of red, brown, blue and pale blue bands. On blue band, white circular spots and on red band, blue serpentine scroll, and simple geometrical forms on other bands. The warp is of unidentified plant fibre. |
| Dimensions |
|
| 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 | According to Stein this fragment is part of a rug. |
| 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 textile fragment is tapestry woven in red, brown, blue and pale blue bands with spots, scrolls and geometrical patterns. It is unclear what this textile would have been used for, although it is likely to have had an utilitarian function as well as a decorative purpose. It was recovered from the site of Mazartoghrak, which dates from the 8th to the 10th century AD. The site is 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 by Stein at the beginning of the 20th century. Some are silk while others are made from the wool of a variety of different animals. |
| Bibliographic reference | 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.81 - Stein number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:STEIN.318 |
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
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 4, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
