Tan-ground Samite with Confronted Winged Horses in Beaded Floral Roundels Front

Unearthed in Dulan of China’s northwestern Qinghai province, this fragment of tan-ground samite, with a firm texture and a soft feel, features patterns confronted winged horses in bead-circling medallions. Motifs of deerskin brown and dark green on a tan 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 confronted-grass patterns scattering across 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).