Modern Reproduction of Central Asian Textiles
To understand the historical significance of Sogdian textiles that this modern reproduction evokes, we need to understand the historical context within which these textiles were made. The Sogdians were an Iranian people whose homeland was located in what is today Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but their reach stretched in all directions along the Silk Road. The Sogdians acted as middlemen between the Chinese, the Iranians, and nomadic groups north of Sogdiana, selling a variety of luxury goods to different clienteles. Textiles made in Sogdiana and the adjacent Tarim Basin were among the most sought-after products, as they have been preserved in churches in Europe, burials across the steppes of southern Siberia, tombs of the elites in different parts of China, and even Buddhist temples in Japan.
The Sogdian textile reproduction includes many unique elements from weave structure to design motif. Object 7 exhibits some of the salient features common in Sogdian textiles. A comparison with Child’s Coat and Pants from the eighth century now in the Cleveland Museum of Art helps make the point (figure 7.1) [2]. The outer fabric of the coat is a Sogdian silk, a compound twill woven with a design derived from Sasanian Iranian imagery. Specifically, there are aligned pearl roundels each enclosing a pair of confronting ducks standing on what seems to be a split palmette. The roundels are then repeated across the entire garment. This design was in fact one of the most popular textile patterns across Eurasia from the sixth to the thirteenth centuries [3]. Not surprisingly, it is also represented in the modern reproduction, but this time with lions and birds enclosed. In both examples, the use of symmetric animals is present.
Another textile design for comparison is a fragment featuring Ducks in a Roundel now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (figure 7.2). Dating to the eighth to ninth century, this piece has a roundel design similar to the modern reproduction, consisting of an outer foliate border and an inner pearl circle [4]. This is also similar to Object 7 as the roundels consist of a similar foliate border, but this time with an outer pearl circle. The roundels in both textile pieces clearly point to their common Sogdian origin.
Upon a closer examination, the modern reproduction textile has two distinct repeating rows of roundels. The first is a pair of symmetrical white lions holding up what looks to be a tree (top row in figure 7.3). This could possibly be a palmette tree, which is evident in the examples discussed above. Many Sogdian roundels included images of animals near a tree of life to symbolize the world and its center. The depiction of lions, the king of beasts, holding up this tree of life could possibly represent the participation of the most powerful living animals in universal sacral values, specifically giving thanks to natural wonders [5]. The second style of roundels depicts red birds in the same symmetrical style holding up a plant or an object (bottom row in figure 7.3). These birds have powerful wings and tail with large plumages in red, suggesting an identification of the Vermillion Bird, a directional symbol of the South in China that has often been conflated with the phoenix, a symbol of the empress and the feminine side of imperial authority. Regardless of the red bird’s exact identity, its pairing with the lions in the same design underscores a deliberate mixing of powerful animal symbols from different cultures. These animal imageries were meant to convey power and authority ordained by some divine source, which is represented by adding supernatural features such as wings to the animals.
Why did Sogdian textile makers mix powerful animal imageries from different cultures in the same work? To answer this question, it is important to keep in mind that the Sogdian people were skilled merchants and tradesmen who understood the value of symbolism in textiles. The Sogdians exploited different ideas of elitism, stability and power in their works. They understood that their clients would be more open to foreign ideas and designs, or a mix thereof with the familiar, especially during those times when leadership was constantly changing and they were questioning their worth and identity. The Sogdians then capitalized on cultural hybridity and sought to make a profit out of it by creating textiles with disparate symbols of power. These fabrics and the symbols depicted were meant to increase the power of clergy, military and feudal nobility, supporting their political ambitions. The reason that Sogdian culture was so influential across Eurasia was because they produced desirable products featuring symbols of power that were universal to all. These textiles were in great demand and widely distributed. The modern reproduction provides us with a glimpse into their broad appeal along the Silk Road at its height.
-Matthew Leiser
[1] The original piece has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government. It is now in the custody of the Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures Section of the Tokyo National Museum, N56. It measures 70.5 cm in length and 24.5 cm in width.
[2] James C.Y. Watt and Anne E. Wardwell, When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997), 34–37.
[3] Elmira Gyul, “Sogdian Textile Design: Political Symbols of an Epoch,” Textile Society of America Proceedings 689 (2012).
[4] Watt and Wardwell, When Silk Was Gold, 32.
[5] Gyul, “Sogdian Textile Design,” 5–6.