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0308 Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2
Ruins of Desert Cathay : vol.2 / Page 308 (Color Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000213
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208 PAINTINGS & OTHER ART RELICS CH. LXVIII

which have turned up among the finds of that wonderful cave. A number of triangular head - pieces, which were

found detached from their painted banners, are composed

either in their body or in their broad borders of pieces of fine silk damask. The multi-coloured patterns woven

into them present a striking resemblance to the type which finds of patterned silk fabrics from Egyptian tombs of the early Christian and Byzantine period have made familiar to Western archaeologists, and which is usually known by the conventional designation of ' Sassanian.'

In one piece we see a gracefully designed pattern of

rosettes and palmettes interspersed with symmetrically arranged figures of flying birds ; in another an elaborate

diaper of rings and quatrefoils in bright greens and pinks

is decorated with pairs of horned deer or geese posed in profile. The quaint but effective modelling of the

woven figures and their colouring recall so vividly the

designs of ancient fabrics excavated in the early Christian cemeteries of Egypt and commonly classed as ` Coptic,'

that, according to the opinion of Professor J. Strzygowski, a leading authority on the art history of the Near East, who has kindly undertaken the study of my materials, a close connection in origin may be considered certain. The same affinity of style is to be observed in a mass of

fine damasks and brocades which have survived as mere strips and rags among the ex-votos plentifully deposited

in the cave. The full reconstruction in drawing of the patterns which these torn pieces of fabrics once exhibited is a task of considerable interest that will necessarily take time.

The problem presented by these fabrics is made still more interesting by certain specimens of exceedingly fine silk tapestry which have been discovered among our ` finds ' from the ` Thousand Buddhas.' One of them is contained in the hand - woven strips which form the converging borders of a beautifully painted triangular head-piece of a banner. The general idea of design, elaborate in spite of the minute execution, is a duck-pond surrounded by various delicately coloured plants ; this, too, recalls motifs used in ancient Egypt and the Near East.