"Cloth of Gold" with Medallions

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This exuberant textile illustrates one of the most luxurious materials used at the Mongol court: nasij, or “cloth of gold.” Except for very fine outlines of patterns in bright red silk, the entire surface of this special textile was woven with gold threads. An innovation from Central Asia, this technique attests to the mass movement of weavers from the eastern Iranian world to China during the Mongol period.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art