Collection Online as of November 30, 2022

Boot

907–1125

Part of a set. See all set records

Northern China, Liao dynasty

(907-1125)

Silk: tapestry weave; two kinds of metal threads

Overall: 47.5 x 30.8 cm (18 11/16 x 12 1/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1993.158.2

Location

not on view

Description

The kesi outer fabric of the boots is woven with pairs of phoenixes chasing a flaming pearl among clouds. The sections were carefully cut so that the flaming pearl occurs at the centers of the shin and calf, and at the top of the instep. To accommodate the particular cut and smaller area of the instep, the phoenixes were depicted slightly differently and the design was reduced in scale. The wide cut of the top of the boots enabled pants to be tucked inside. Skirts, jackets, robes, gloves, and a hat would have completed the outfit. Liao kesi is distinguished by its exceptional refinement. Considered a national specialty, it was used extensively for both clothing and furnishings. Not only were kesi robes worn by the Liao emperor, but they were sent to the Song emperor as imperial gifts.

Citations

Watt, James C. Y, Anne E Wardwell, Anne E Wardwell, Morris Rossabi, Cleveland Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Morris Rossabi, Cleveland Museum of Art, and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art in cooperation with the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1997. pp. 87-90, reproduced in color, p. 87, detail p. 88, figure 30

Spee, Clarissa von. "From the SIlk Road to the Imperial Court: Chinese Textiles in the Cleveland Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 48, no. 3(May-June 2018): 50-56. Reproduced: p. 51, fig. 2

Müller, Kathrin. Musterhaft naturgetreu: Tiere in Seiden, Zeichnungen und Tapisserien des 14. und 15. Jahrhunderts. 2020. Reproduced: P. 58, abb. 14

Cunningham, Michael R. Masterworks of Asian art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998. Reproduced: p. 48 - 49

Exhibition history

New Objects/New Insights: Recent Chinese Acquisitions (Asian Autumn). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 18-December 31, 1994).

Asian Autumn: New Objects/New Insights: Cleveland's Recent Chinese Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 18-December 31, 1994).

When Silk Was Gold: Central Asian & Chinese Textiles from the Cleveland and Metropolitan Museums of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (organizer) (March 2-May 17, 1998).

The Splendor of Chinese Silk – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 5-August 12, 2018).