A silk samit textile fragment, Near East (?), 12th century or earlier

This textile is derived ultimately from a Sasanian stylisation of the classical Pegasus motif. Similar winged horses appear on an early eighth-century silk fragment in the Horyu-ji, Nara, Japan (Hayashi 1975, no. 82) and a seventh-century Central Asian textile illustrated in Hali, July 2006, fig. 4. The distinctive geometric designs on the horse's body, tassels to the neck and legs, and a crescent rosette crown are typical Sogdian motifs. These decorative devices can be traced to sixth- and seventh-century frescoes in western China (Beurdeley 1985, pp. 116-117).