Textile with Tiny Leaves 1275-1350 Central Asia, Mongol period, late 13th - mid-14th century Tabby with supplementary weft; silk and gold thread Overall: 14.5 x 15.5 cm (5 11/16 x 6 1/8 in.) Dudley P. Allen Fund 1985.33 DESCRIPTION The shimmering gold of the tiny scattered leaves in this silk perfectly suited the taste of the Mongol court. Showing no Chinese or eastern Iranian influence, this type of pattern appears to have been indigenous to eastern Central Asia. The closest parallels to the tiny leaves densely strewn across the surface are found among the silk tapestries of the Uyghurs. CITATIONS Wardwell, Anne E. "Panni Tartarici: Eastern Islamic Silks Woven with Gold and Silver (13th and 14th Centuries)." In Islamic Art III, 95-173. New York: The Islamic Art Foundation, 1989. Mentioned: p. 95-173; Reproduced: Fig. 3 Indictor, N., R. J. Koestler, M. Wypyski, and A. E. Wardwell. "Metal Threads Made of Proteinaceous Substrates Examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy: Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry." Studies in Conservation 34, no. 4 (1989). p. 171-82 Watt, James C. Y., Anne E. Wardwell, and Morris Rossabi. When silk was gold: Central Asian and Chinese textiles. 1997. p. 148, reproduced in color, p. 148 EXHIBITION HISTORY CMA, "Year in Review for 1985," [Feb. 12-April 6, 1986], no. 163. The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986). 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).