Detail View: The AMICA Library: Imperial Boots
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AMICA ID:
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CMA_.1993.158.1-2
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AMICA Library Year:
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1998
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Object Type:
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Textiles
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Creator Nationality:
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Chinese
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Northern China, Liao dynasty (907-1125)
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Title:
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Imperial Boots
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Title Type:
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Primary
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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907 - 1125
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Creation Start Date:
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907
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Creation End Date:
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1125
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Materials and Techniques:
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outer fabric: silk tapestry, gilded; facing: gauze, silk; lining: tabby silk; sole: self-patterned twill, silk and tabby, silk; silk batting
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Style or Period:
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Northern China
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Dimensions:
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Overall: 47.5cm x 30.8cm
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Cleveland Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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ID Number:
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1993.158.1
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ID Number:
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1993.158.2
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Credit Line:
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Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
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Rights:
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Context:
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In the early tenth century, Qidan tribesmen of Manchuria established an empire they called the Liao by taking over northern China and much of Mongolia. Although historical records and wall paintings depicting Qidan life testify to the importance of luxury textiles to Liao culture, relatively few have survived. Among these is a pair of knee-high boots that belonged to a female member of the royal family.The outer fabric of the boots is silk and gold tapestry, the lining is silk, and the silk batting in between is for warmth. The soles are made of silk, and the opening at the top is finished with a gauze facing. The silk tapestry is woven with a design of paired phoenixes chasing flaming pearls amid scrolling clouds. The tapestry was carefully cut so that a flaming pearl flanked by phoenixes occurs at the center of the shin, another at the center of the calf, while a third is centered on the instep. The design of the latter was reduced in scale in order to accommodate the smaller area of the instep. On both boots, the gold thread has largely disintegrated, leaving traces of gold leaf on the warps.Boots such as these formed part of a costume that consisted of layers of clothing. One aristocratic woman found in a tenth-century Liao tomb, for example, was dressed in pants that tied at the waist and were tucked into knee-high boots made of silk tapestry. Over these she wore a skirt, a knee-length jacket, an outer full-length robe with wide sleeves, a hat, and gloves.Although few examples of silk and gold tapestry survive from the Liao empire, it was highly esteemed by the Qidan. The Liaoshi (history of the Liao dynasty) describes a red silk-tapestry robe worn by the emperor himself. In the West, where such textiles are little known, these boots are important evidence of the high artistic and technical achievements of tapestry weavers within the Liao empire. A.W.
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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CMA_.1993.158.1-2.tif
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