The symmetrical circular motif, woven with gold thread against a brick red background is isolated in staggered horizontal rows, generously spaced one from another. Possibly manufactured in Hongzhou where Chinese craftsmen from Bianjing, (former Jin dynasty capital) and Central Asian craftsmen worked together.
Following the hunting customs of the Khitans, the Jin dynasty royal families and offcials who attended the spring hunt would wear uniforms embroidered with gold thread. Gold brocade of this period was a luxury textile and very few examples have been found in archaeological sites. The Mongols adopted the production of this high quality silk, keeping much of the methods the same, with a few complex technical changes.
• For further discussion on North China textiles of this period see ‘When silk was Gold, Central Asian and Chinese Textiles, The metropolitan museum of art, NY.
