"China's medieval Tang Dynasty, which spanned 618 to 907 C.E., was something of a golden age in the nation's long and storied history. The realm's territory expanded while governmental stability helped to ensure relative peace, and trade routes like the Silk Road were kept relatively safe. And as people enjoyed more exposure to materials and styles from other parts of the world, the arts of this era reflected curiosity about new techniques and forms."
"Among these were a series of cut and folded paper flowers, several of which are part of The Stein Textile Collection, stored at the British Museum and the V&A in London. Loosely based on a square format, similar to other architectural rosettes of the period, the paper flowers were likely attached to a wall or some other substrate, as they still have a dab of glue on their reverse sides."
China's Tang Dynasty (618–907 C.E.) experienced territorial expansion, governmental stability, and relatively safe Silk Road trade, fostering artistic exchange and exposure to foreign materials and styles. Modern paper originated in China over two thousand years ago, enabling durable artifacts. The Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, known as the Valley of the Thousand Buddhas, preserved nearly 500 chambers of Buddhist statuary and paintings. Sealed Cave 17, excavated by Marc Aurel Stein in the early 1900s, yielded some 50,000 documents, textiles, and objects. Among these were cut and folded paper flowers, now in the Stein Textile Collection at the British Museum and the V&A. The flowers mirror architectural rosettes, display glued backs, and range from simple painted compositions to layered designs using varied paper thicknesses.
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