The Legacy of Genghis Khan (LACMA)

		1 2 4 5 6 7 8

Canopy with Phoenixes China, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) Embroidery, silk and gold thread The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Gift, Louis V. Bell and Rogers Funds, and Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, in honor of Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg, 1988 (1988.82) cat. 184 © 1996 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York [click images for full object view]


With its lavish use of raised gold threads, this embroidered silk canopy demonstrates the Chinese taste for luxurious textiles during the Yuan dynasty.

The dynamic radial composition of two phoenixes circling in flight is enhanced by the bird’s curved wings and elaborate plumage.

Such motifs were popular in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, where they were used in a variety of media, such as the carved lacquer tray here. [click images for full object views]

The same type of design is found in early-fourteenth-century Iran among the so-called Sultanabad wares (such as the Bowl with Four Phoenixes shown here); it is likely to have derived from the Chinese motif, with textiles such as this one serving as a means of transmission.

Genghis Khan Home | Introduction
Mongols in China | Mongols in Iran | Mongols and Islam | Art of the Book | A New Visual Language
Exhibition Info & Credits | Resources

LACMA home | By using this site, you expressly agree to be bound by the Terms of Use.
© 2003 Museum Associates dba the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. All rights reserved.