An Exceptionally rare Chinese Northern Wei (386-535 AD) Silk-On-Silk Robe.
Animal imagery abounds in the colorful embroidery on this ancient robe. Within the inner square stand four pairs of pink elephants, while each of the four circles holds four pink leaping rabbits. Geometric shapes are embroidered in blue or green, with green and tan serving to form the vegetal elements. Deep magenta-purple circles form a ring within each of the four blue circles; a pattern reminiscent of the Sassanian and Sogdian “pearl roundel”. Radiocarbon dated to the mid-fourth to mid-sixth centuries, both the scientific dating and the archaeological evidence point to the Northern Wei as the culture who crafted this unique robe. The torso of dark brown silk is lightly padded, while the unpadded tan colored skirt would have been worn over trousers. No examples in the Chinese National Silk Museum in Hangzhou except small fragments. To our knowledge this full ancient robe is one of a kind. Carbon-14 tested (c.386-535 CE).

Dimension: Framed c. 56” high x 48” wide.

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