Lions and phoenix. Central Asia, c. 1200 or earlier 56... Lot 114

Lions and phoenix. Central Asia, c. 1200 or earlier 56 x 32 cm. Silk and gold thread tapestry, kesi A series of felines are represented juxtaposed, going two by two in the same direction and the following ones in the opposite direction. They are arranged in the middle of foliage and large flowers. On a brown background, the bodies of the felines are woven with gold thread and highlighted with red thread. The scrolls are treated by two greens and a pale yellow, themselves underlined with red thread. The large flowers are adorned with blue, pink, white and cream. The upper right part draws a brace with a blue border and pink background that welcomes a phoenix in full flight. The choice of colors and patterns is different: small flowers and green and blue foliage. The phoenix, cream or gold, white and purple. This type of fragment was used in China to cover precious paint scrolls or sacred books. Provenance: Parisian collection acquired in the 1990s Publication: James C.Y. Watt, Anne E. When Silk Was Gold, Central Asian Textiles. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1998. P80, fig.28 Another fragment from the same textile is in the Cleveland Museum of Art: James C.Y. Watt, Anne E. Wardwell When Silk Was Gold, Central Asian Textiles. The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1998. P80, Cat.19. https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.3