Silk damask fragment in pale blue and silvery beige with longevity character, 1300-1400, China

Now pale blue and silvery beige silk damask showing circular medallion pattern with stylized Chinese character shou, meaning 'longevity' and in between these medallions the motif of a flaming jewel. The piece appears to originally been a section of a tunic showing an armhole and trimmed neck - textile been utilised 'upside-down'.

Purchased from Mr. H. Wallis F.S.A. (9 Beauchamp Road, Upper Norwood, S.E.), accessioned in 1898. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Historical significance: Early example of Chinese silk trade.

This fragment is part of a group of Chinese silks in the V&A collection , broadly dated between the late thirteenth century and the mid-fifteenth century, and supposedly came from the medieval urban centre of Fustat in Egypt. The one shown here, in pale blue and silvery beige, appears to be a section of a tunic showing an armhole and a trimmed neck. The pattern of the silk consists of a circular medallion with the stylized Chinese character shou, meaning 'longevity', and motif of a flaming jewel that fills the spaces in between these medallions. However, the pattern might have been misunderstood by the tailor as it is utilised 'upside-down', with incorrect orientation of the motifs. This suggests that at least the tailoring was done in a context where the reading of Chinese characters was irrelevant. The weaving may thus have been carried out in China and the silks then exported westwards, or it could have been done outside China by Islamic craftsmen familiar with Chinese patterning.
The staining may be due to their having been buried, although no archeological report exist.
Similar textiles have not been found in China and it is possible that these silks were made specially for the Mamluk empire (1250-1517). From surviving Mamluk textiles, it seems that blue was a favoured colour. Mamluk and other textiles from the Islamic world are known to incorporate scripts into their designs, so the inclusion of a longevity ideograph may have been a deliberate move.

Allegedly excavated in Fustat, Egypt

This fragment is part of a group of Chinese silks in the V&A collection, broadly dated between the late thirteenth century and the mid-fifteenth century, and supposedly came from the medieval urban centre of Fustat in Egypt. The one shown here appears to be a section of a tunic showing an armhole and a trimmed neck. The pattern of the silk consists of a circular medallion with the stylized Chinese character shou, meaning 'longevity', and motif of a flaming jewel that fills the spaces in between these medallions. However, the pattern might have been misunderstood by the tailor as it is utilised 'upside-down', with incorrect orientation of the motifs. This suggests that at least the tailoring was done in a context where the reading of Chinese characters was irrelevant.

754-1898