Skip to Main Content

 Admission is always freeOpen today: 10:00  to 5:00  Directions             Play Artle            

                  -  Visit                      - Visit
                    - Getting Here
                    - Accessibility
                    - Tours, Guides & Maps
                    - Food & Drink
                    - Gallery Shops
                    - Visitor Policies 
                  -  Collection                      - Collection
                    - Highlights
                    - Search the Collection
                    - Artists Search
                    - Acquisition Highlights
                    - Stories
                    - Games 
                  -  Exhibitions                      - Exhibitions
                    - Current
                    - Special Installations
                    - Upcoming
                    - On Tour
                    - Past 
                  -  Calendar                      - Calendar
                    - Films
                    - Performances
                    - Talks
                    - Guided Tours
                    - After Hours
                    - Fun for Kids
                    - Festivals
                    - Workshops 
                  -  Learn                      - Learn
                    - Teachers
                    - Families
                    - Teens
                    - Adults
                    - Learning Resources
                    - Music Programs
                    - Film Programs 
                  -  Conservation                      - Conservation
                    - Projects
                    - Publications
                    - Resources 
                  -  Research                      - Research
                    - The Center
                    - Publications
                    - Make an Appointment
                    - Archives
                    - Library
                    - NGA Online Editions 
                  -  Support                      - Support
                    - Donate Now
                    - National Membership
                    - Circle Membership
                    - Leadership Groups
                    - Planned Giving
                    - Major Giving
                    - Gifts of Art 
                  -  Shop                      - Shop
                    - Books
                    - Jewelry
                    - Apparel & Accessories
                    - Kids
                    - NGA Custom Prints 
                  -  Play Artle

Home>Research>Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts>Research Projects>Members' Research Report Archive>Eiren L. Shea, 2015–2016

About Fellowships

Senior Fellowships

Visiting Senior Fellowships

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Predoctoral Dissertation Fellowships

Center Members

Members’ Presentations

Former Members

Members’ Research Reports, 2011–2018

About Center Meetings

Recent & Upcoming Meetings

A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts

Wyeth Foundation for American Art Programs

Sydney J. Freedberg Lectures on Italian Art

Research at the Center

The Index of American Design

History of Early American Landscape Design

The History of the Accademia di San Luca, c. 1590–1635

About the Center Publications

Recent & Upcoming Publications

Reflections on the Collection: The Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professors at the National Gallery of Art

Studies in the History of Art

Seminar Papers

*Center Report*

From the *Bulletin*

Research Publications

Special Publications

National Gallery of Art Shop

# Members' Research Report Archive

***Fashioning Mongol Identity in China (1200‒1350)***

**Eiren L. Shea**[University of Pennsylvania]Ittleson Fellow, 2014–2016

*Afrasiyab Takes Siyavush as Prisoner* (detail), from the *Shahnama*, Tabriz, Iran, Ilkhanid period, c. 1330–1336. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, F1931.21

Beginning in the early thirteenth century, the Mongols, a coalition of peoples from the steppe region north of China, united under Chinggis Khan and conquered huge areas of the Eurasian continent, their empire extending, at its peak, to present-day Hungary in the West and as far as the Korea peninsula in the East. In large part because of these conquests, the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries saw a period of unparalleled commercial, cultural, and diplomatic exchange across Eurasia. Much of the scholarship on Mongol culture since the last century has adhered to the view that Mongol artistic patronage and taste were “influenced” by other, better-established cultures. In China, for example, culture of the Mongol period is framed in the context of increasing “sinicization.” This view is simplistic at best and implies that art produced under Mongol rule was in essence derivative, or worthy of study only under the rubric of the traditional Chinese art-historical narrative. Although in the last fifteen years there has been a modest surge in the number of attempts to reexamine the Mongols’ agency in many aspects of their civilization, the role of dress and other arts in the formation of a Mongol imperial identity has yet to be fully examined.

My dissertation, “Fashioning Mongol Identity in China (c. 1200–1368),” completed during my residence at CASVA, defines, categorizes, and contextualizes Mongol court dress and textiles. In this way it shows how the Mongol elite constructed a political and cultural identity for themselves through dress and other forms of material culture and how this identity was translated pictorially in representations of Mongols by other Eurasian civilizations. During the first year of my CASVA fellowship I was able to survey most of the materials discussed in the dissertation, including textiles, paintings, and manuscripts in collections in East Asia, Europe, Turkey, and the United States.

To understand the genesis and development of the Mongol vestimentary system, “Fashioning Mongol Identity in China” begins with a chapter surveying the clothing of peoples who had the most impact on the Mongols: Uighur, Khitan (Liao), Jürchen (Jin), and Tangut, with some discussion of Song dynasty court fashion (from around the tenth to the thirteenth century). The second chapter looks at the early period of Mongol empire formation (1206–1259), examining the material and textual evidence of textiles the early Mongols wore, where these were produced, and who wove them. The third chapter surveys the textiles, costumes, and associated ceremony of the reign of Khubilai Khan (1260–1294) and the Yuan dynasty more broadly. The Mongol vestimentary system, while not codified until after Khubilai’s reign, arguably was fully formed during his tenure as emperor of China. Court ceremony, which relied heavily on dress, reached its apex during this period. Drawing from historical texts, this chapter also surveys textile production sites, clothing regulations, and styles of dress. The fourth chapter widens the geographic scope of the project, studying the western end of the Mongol empire with an emphasis on defining Ilkhanid court dress and its relationship to Yuan court dress, a task made more complicated by the lack of archaeological material. This chapter relies principally on illuminated manuscripts and textual descriptions. Some evidence for textiles produced in the Ilkhanid is also provided by material that was preserved in European church treasuries. The end of the dissertation looks even farther west, to representations of Mongols and Mongol-produced textiles in northern Italian painting of the early fourteenth century. These European materials illustrate the range of Mongol visual culture, which by this time had had a visible impact on early Italian Renaissance art, most clearly through textiles. Since European narratives of the Mongol empire are referenced throughout the dissertation, this chapter provides a bookend for the reception of descriptions and stories of the Mongols in Europe.

This project takes into account the exchange of materials, decorative motifs, and weaving technologies across Asia. It necessitated the technical analysis of textiles (weaves and materials) and classification of types of dress; readings of primary source texts; and consideration of court paintings, tomb murals, and illuminated manuscripts. It is the first study of dress of this period that considers all of these materials together in order to provide an overview of Mongol court dress. Through an exploration of the means by which the Yuan manipulated court dress prototypes in East Asia, as well as a comparison with the dress adopted at the Mongol-ruled Ilkhanid court in Iran, I conclude that the Mongols used dress as a political tool—a practice that played an important role in establishing them as the rulers of more sedentary peoples.

*Center 36*

### Stay connected

Learn more about our exhibitions, news, programs, and special offers.

About
          - About the National Gallery
          - Stories
          - Press
          - FAQs
          - Contact Us

Plan a Visit
          - Getting Here
          - Accessibility
          - Today's Tours
          - Food & Drink
          - Calendar
          - Downloadable Map

Get Involved
          - Donate
          - Membership
          - Volunteer
          - Opportunities
          - Shop Online

Resources
          - Search the Collection
          - Conservation
          - Library
          - Archives
          - The Center
          - Film Programs
          - Music Programs
          - Audio/Video
          - Open Access Images

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily

**West Building**6th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter or exit from Constitution Avenue, 4th Street, or 7th Street. The Madison Drive entrance is currently closed.*

**East Building**4th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 4th Street.*

**Sculpture Garden**7th St and Constitution Ave NW*Enter and exit from 7th Street, Constitution Avenue, or Madison Drive.*

We are closed on December 25 and January 1.

*The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared humanity.*

          -  Twitter 
          -  Facebook 
          -  Instagram 
          -  Pinterest 
          -  YouTube 

© 2024 National Gallery of Art   Notices   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy