Cloth of Gold: Displayed Falcons mid 1200s Central Asia, mid-13th century Lampas, silk and gold thread Overall: 57.5 x 18.4 cm (22 5/8 x 7 1/4 in.); Mounted: 67.9 x 29.8 cm (26 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.) Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1996.297 DESCRIPTION Mongol ceremonial robes, known as zhisun, were made from textiles woven with gold and silk of one color. These were given by Mongol emperors to members of the court to be worn during festivals and on important occasions that usually included lavish banquets. Like the Winged Lions and Griffins (1989.50), the design of this silk is a uniquely Central Asian synthesis of eastern Iranian and Chinese elements. Motifs and technical details shared by the two silks, moreover, leave no doubt that they were produced in the same city. CITATIONS Cleveland Museum of Art, “Renaissance Armor, Early Islamic Ceramic, French Vase, Gleitsman Painting Added to Museum Collection,” December 13, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997. pp. 144-145, color reproduction, p. 145; detail reproduction figure 51, p. 128 Watt, James C. Y., and Maxwell K. Hearn. The World of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. fig. 8, p. 8 EXHIBITION HISTORY When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998). The World of Kubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 20, 2010-January 2, 2011).