Silk damask fragment in pale blue and silvery beige with longevity character, China, 14th century

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.

Given by Dudley B. Myers, esq.

Given by Mr. Dudley B. Myers, accessioned in 1900. 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 pattern of this silk in pale blue and silvery beige 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 (compared with 754-1898, it is shown in the correct orientation). The weaving may 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 pattern of this silk in pale blue and silvery beige 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. The weaving may 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.

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.

1108-1900