Deerskin-brown-ground Samite with Confronted Deer in Floral Medallions Front

With a firm yet soft texture, this piece of samite fragment features confronted deer in floral medallions. Motifs in deerskin brown and bright green on a deerskin brown ground present a solemn and grand palette. Four horse-containing roundels placed in cruciform symmetry form a unit and each of the four is in symmetry with the others in four directions. There are also paired grass patterns scattering around these medallions, a feature originated in West Asia and got popular in Central Asia testifying that this piece of relics was created in the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD).