Textile Fragment

This rare silk fragment depicts a dragon-scaled, winged and horned horse in a pearl roundel. It was originally part of a larger pattern repeating the pearl roundels with the single winged horse in a confronted arrangement.
Mystical animals in pearl roundels were a popular motif in Sassanian Iran that spread across Central Asia. However, the very naturalistic rendering of the ‘dragon horse’ on this textile, with its fine yet dynamic features, the shape of its tail, and the puffing cloud, together with the floral elements between the medallions might indicate a Chinese origin. The ‘dragon horse’ (known as longma, a hybrid creature in Chinese mythology) was of particular importance to the rulers of the Tang dynasty. As a symbol of power, the longma was considered to be a favourable omen and a sign of good fortune.
This textile could have belonged to a robe that was presented as an auspicious gift. The selvedge survives on the left side of the fragment..