back to overview
 


Clothing and Textiles


Clothing and Textiles



4,629 photos
Li Bai, also known as Li Bo, of the High Tang period, 701-762. He was one of the two leading figures of Chinese poetry.
#030702 8

Li Bai, also known as Li Bo, of the High Tang period, 701-762. He was one of th...

Young nobleman on horseback From China, Yuan dynasty, dated the 27th year of Zhiyuan 1290 CE Qian Xuan (about 1235-1300) was a scholar-official from Wuxing, Zhejiang Province. After the Mongol conquest of China in 1279, he became a yimin ('leftover subject'). Yimin were officials who preferred retirement from public life to serving the alien Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Like many of his compatriots, he turned to artistic pursuits to support himself. A literati painter, Qian painted landscapes, historical figures and flowers. Yimin painters revived past styles of painting to remind them of China's glorious past (fugu - 'return to the past'). The nobleman's costume is painted in the fine linear style reminiscent of Gu Kaizhi (about 345-406). The flat use of colour and bare background add to the sense of restraint and detachment typical of Yuan painting. 297 mm x 756 mm OA 1954.12-11.05 (Chinese Painting Add. 286)
#03070211

Young nobleman on horseback From China, Yuan dynasty, dated the 27th year of...

Monk,pilgrim,accompanied by a tiger (Xuanzang). China,Donhuang,T'ang Dynasty,end 9th CE Ink and colour on paper, 49,6 x 29,4 cm
#03070216

Monk,pilgrim,accompanied by a tiger (Xuanzang). China,Donhuang,T'ang Dyn...

Prince Shotoku Taishi, Japan, Kamakura period, early 14th. He is shown as a 16-year old youth holding a censer and praying for the recovery of his sick father the Emperor Yomei.At his feet sit two smaller figures in the court dress of the Kamakura period. The prince was one of the outstanding figures of Japanese history and was instrumental in establishing Buddhism in Japan. Prince Shotoku was sometimes seen as a reincarnation of Shaka (the historical Buddha) and many paintings and statues of him were produced at that time for devotional purposes. JA,JP ADD370 (1961.4-8.01)
#03070218

Prince Shotoku Taishi, Japan, Kamakura period, early 14th. He is shown as a 16-...

Figure of Aizen Myo-o, Kamakura or Muromachi period, 14th-15th century. Aizen is one of the five MYO-o, "Kings of Light" protectors of the esoteric Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. Aizen has six arms, each holding one of his attributes: bow, arrow, thunderbolts, some missing from this figure. The statue is made of laquered and pigmented wood, with crystal inlaid eyes. JA, 1885.12-27.27
#03070219

Figure of Aizen Myo-o, Kamakura or Muromachi period, 14th-15th century. Aizen is...

Jade ornament, Eastern Zhou period, 5th century BC. These four discs of jade were for the decoration of a belt or pendant. The fact that they are linked without any joins represents an extraordinary piece of craftsmanship, since jade is such a difficult material to work. Its hardness is one of the many qualities which made jade so highly prized in ancient China.This ornament clearly belonged to someone of high social status. OA, 1937.4-16.250
#03070221

Jade ornament, Eastern Zhou period, 5th century BC. These four discs of jade wer...

Liubo players found in eastern China, Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century. The figures in this group are gambling. They are playing Liubo, a game thought to be popular among both mortals and immortals. The board is marked with divination symbols, and the game pieces show the animals of the four directions: the White Tiger (West), the Green Dragon (East), the Vermilion Bird (South) and the Tortoise, with a snake coiled around its body, known as the Dark Warrior (North). It is an ancient Chinese belief that the world one passed into after death was similar to the living world. Therefore, to maintain one's status in the next world, a tomb should be provided with all the things one had used in this life. OA, 1933.11-14.1
#03070226

Liubo players found in eastern China, Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century. The figures...

Copy of an idol venerated in the Temple of the Five Hundred Genii in Canton, China. The idol is an effigy of early traveller Marco Polo (1254-1324), who spent 12 years at the court of Kublai Khan (1214-1294),Mongolian ruler of China. Wood, gilded. See also 40-08-03/20
#03070244

Copy of an idol venerated in the Temple of the Five Hundred Genii in Canton, Chi...

Country doctor applying a painful cure of moxibustion (traditional Chinese medical therapy utilizing special herbs) to a man's back. Hanging scroll, silk embroidery. Song Dynasty, China; 10th century CE.
#03070249

Country doctor applying a painful cure of moxibustion (traditional Chinese medic...

On the River at Qing Ming Festival. This painting is considered one of the most valuable in Chinese art history for its high level of technical quality and the liveliness with which it portrays the myriad details of urban life. It is generally interpreted as portraying the city environs of Kaifeng, the Northern Song capital, and some of the surrounding countryside. Handscroll, ink and colors on silk. Northern Song Dynasty, China; 12th century CE.
#03070250

On the River at Qing Ming Festival. This painting is considered one of the most...

Buddha. Painted wood sculpture; Muromachi period, 16th century CE.
#03070251

Buddha. Painted wood sculpture; Muromachi period, 16th century CE.

Tsuba (round guard at the end of the grip of a sword) in shape of a serment. Edo period, Japan; 18th century CE.
#03070253

Tsuba (round guard at the end of the grip of a sword) in shape of a serment. Edo...