PATCHWORK ON THE SILK ROAD 

Up-Cycling in the Ninth Century 

    In case we thought that making do and mending – currently more trendily known as ‘re-purposing’ or ‘up-cycling’ – was a relatively recent idea, some surviving ancient textiles prove  that it is a concept which has been around for many centuries, although the motivations for it have been, and are, many and various. A silk valance* dating from the C9th/C10th, an example of a Buddhist devotional object, is a case in point. It was found in 1907 by the Hungarian-British explorer and archaeologist, Sir Marc Aurel Stein, in a previously sealed cave, designated Cave 17, connected to the now famous complex known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas in Dunhuang, Western China. The carving of Buddhist shrines out of solid rock began in India and was transmitted to China along the Silk Roads. Those at Dunhuang were carved from sandstone cliffs between the fourth and the fourteenth centuries and even by the C7th there were over a thousand caves, lavishly decorated with paintings and sculptures, and attracting thousands of devotees and other travellers. 

Stein found three valances in Cave 17, two of which are in New Delhi, but the most complete of the three is in the Collection of the British Museum (Object MAS.855), where I was able to examine it. There are many examples of textiles salvaged from sites along the trading routes which have come to be known collectively as The Silk Road, but this one has special relevance to the history of patchwork. It demonstrates that the technique of piecing together scraps of fabric is long-established and exemplifies one of the many motivations for the use of that technique – in this case devotional. Valances feature in many of the paintings in the caves, illustrating the ways in which they were used. The size of this one, 281.5cms long and 42cms deep, suggests that it could have had several uses, for example as a hanging in front of an altar or a Buddha statue. It could also have served as part of a canopy, which was a religious object often used to shelter a statue of Buddha or carried as a banner symbolising the victory of Buddha’s teachings.

The valance incorporates sixteen types of silk, three different embroideries and one type of printed silk. Stitches used include satin stitch, split stitch and running stitch. The upper section is a 6” wide border pieced from ten patches, with eight suspension loops either of plain weave or of samite, which is a rich silk fabric interwoven with gold and silver threads. The lower section comprises streamers of damask, twill damask, samite and both printed and embroidered silk of different shapes, all of which are sandwiched between triangular double-sided tabs attached to the lower edge of the border, with tassels attached to the bottom of each tab. 

Some of the streamers are looped and knotted, some are roughly patched together and some also have tassels hanging from them. Surprisingly, close examination reveals that some streamers which look like carefully patterned patchwork are in fact constructed by overlapping rectangles, also double-sided, with mitred ends, secured together with small running stitches down the middle. To twenty-first century eyes they look convincingly like mens’ striped ties. Although shabby and faded today, one can imagine how bright and colourful the valance must have looked when it was made, over 1200 years ago.

As well as the valances, the caves contained other examples of silk patchwork in various states of preservation. Patchwork has historically had an important role in Buddhist practice, stimulated by the Buddha’s precept against waste. As a result, to piece together patches of valuable silk was seen as an act of serious piety. Silk fabrics were given as votive offerings by affluent visitors to the shrines, some perhaps spontaneously torn from their own clothing.

The way in which this valance, and many other artefacts from Dunhuang, ended up in western museum collections is in itself a fascinating story.  Stein was but one of many western explorers and archaeologists who, from the end of the nineteenth century, heard rumours of manuscripts and artefacts being offered for sale in local markets in Western China and set out to acquire whatever treasures they could find. Their activities eventually led the Chinese authorities to clamp down on ‘foreign devils’ simply loading their finds onto camels and horses and transporting them back to the West. But that clamping down didn’t happen until the 1930s, by which time many thousands of items had been acquired by museums both in the UK and in many other countries. Of course, the collection and acquisition of historic artefacts has been the subject of controversy for many years, the Elgin Mables being the most famous example. But it can be argued that the acquisition of such artefacts, including those from Dunhuang, was justified since it ensured their survival and facilitated the scholarly attention they have since received. 

Aside from their significance to contemporary patchworkers, the silk patchworks found at Dunhuang are a valuable contribution to the broader research into the subject of textiles on The Silk Road.. They provide unique insight into the probable uses and religious significance of found objects, as well as proving that certain construction and needlework techniques have been used over many centuries. Study of the fabrics yields information about types of silk, their geographical origins and manufacturing techniques. 

 In 1994 the British Library established the International Dunhuang Project, a collaborative effort to conserve, catalogue and digitize manuscripts, printed texts, paintings, textiles and artefacts from the caves at Dunhuang and various other archaeological sites from the eastern end of The Silk Road.

Further reading and information

Aurel Stein on the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield, The British Museum Press, London, 2004

Foreign Devils on the Silk Road  by Peter Hopkirk, John Murray, London, 1980

The International Dunhuang Project Online: http://idp.bl.uk

Thanks to Dr Luk Yu-ping, Basil Gray Curator: Chinese Paintings, Prints and Central Asian Collection at the British Museum, for facilitating access to Object MAS.855.

© CME 2020