A rare pair of silk lampas trousers, Sogdiana, Central Asia, 7th/8th Century

of typical form, with straight legs and a wide waist, composed of multiple silk panels, woven with honey, dark brown, green and pink threads, decorated with vegetal designs comprising lotus buds, palmettes, peonies and vines issuing from a palm-like stem, inner silk lining

Colour of the main image in the catalogue is a little too dark and red in tone. In reality the design is a chocolate brown and is not as dark and the ground is a warm honey colour, with small details in teal green and pale rose. These trousers are constructed of various sections. The repeat pattern lampas overlays a later honey coloured twill support fabric. Where the lampas is distressed or lacking, the support textile is visible, and is clearly seen as sections on both legs, back and front, as larger areas at the top of each inner leg. There are also smaller sections where the support thicker textile is visible. There is a complimentary coloured silk lining, which does not extend all the way up the legs, but to the knee area, and partially extends down from the waistline. The lampas design at the joins does not correspond to adjoining panels. There is a combination of stitches along the joins. Stitches are not visible along some joins, others have small close stitches, and some have visible thicker thread stitches. The joins in places are irregular and repaired in areas, especially where prone to more folding and compression, and where there are more pieces of textile (the top of the legs). It is the same area, at the join of the leg panels that has more abrasions and splits and repairs. There are areas of abrasion and loose threads, and other areas with small splits and areas of weakness. There are delicate vertical consolidation stitches conserving weaker areas of the lampas, especially in the middle section across the top of the legs sections, commensurate with location and previous constant movement of the textile. There are small areas of red and copper green staining, visible in the detailed photograph in the catalogue, and in the lower section of the right leg of the main image in the catalogue. In addition, on the reverse of trousers, at the bottom of the right leg and especially the left leg, there is green staining visible, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

These extremely rare silk lampas trousers bear eloquent witness to the quality and splendour of Sogdian silk cloth production of the seventh and eighth centuries. Their unique style and decoration, with references to Chinese, Sogdian and Sasanian models, is indicative of the far-reaching trading network existant at that time, from China, through Eastern Central Asia and Tibet, to Sogdiana.

It is instructive to compare these trousers with a pair of silk trousers from China which date to the eighth century, and which form part of a set of vestments including a Sogdian silk coat now in the Cleveland Museum of Art (published in New York 1997, pp.34-37, no.5: “Prince’s Pants (with lining), China, 8^th century. Twill damask, silk; lining: damask, silk; 52.0 x 28.0 cm. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J.H.Wade Fund 1996.2.2).

The trousers in the Cleveland Museum of Art were made of a white twill-patterned silk woven in China with a design consisting of floral motifs associated with the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD). The coat that was found with the Cleveland trousers was also lined with Chinese silk, but its exterior is composed of Sogdian silk and is decorated with motifs drawn from the Sogdian repertoire, featuring paired birds standing on an open lotus within a pearl-bordered roundel related to Sasanian imagery (New York 1997, pp.36-37).

Whereas these trousers resemble those of the Cleveland Museum of Art in shape and style, their decorative ornamentation derives from Sogdian models and is ultimately linked to early Sasanian archetypes. Such motifs would have conveyed the traditional associations of power and wealth and were widely adopted at the many cosmopolitan trading- and production-centres along the Silk Road.