A Child’s Coat with Ducks in Pearl Medallions and a Child's Pants

This luxurious silk coat for a young prince displays ducks in pearl roundels alternating with cross-shaped lotus blossoms woven in five radiant colors of silk. The ducks are adorned with motifs adopted from the previous Sasanian dynasty in Iran including pearl collars, flying ribbons, and a jeweled necklace in their beaks. This silk was woven in Iran or Sogdiana; however, it is lined with Chinese silk damask and has a pair of pants also made with Chinese silk damask, both decorated in an 8th-century style of the Tang Dynasty.