Sogdian Pheasant

"The Relics of the Holy Prince were once wrapped in this textile in the Monastery at Jouarre in the 11th Century, it was later transferred to Parish Church at Jouarre in 1792. It is woven in samite, a typical product of Central Asia, and has been C-14 dated, giving a 68% confidence of a dating between 593 and 753, mean 654, making it more or less exactly contemporary with the Afrasiyab murals.

Stylistically, it shares many features with the pheasants and ducks published in Verhecken-Lammens, de Moor, and Overlaet, Radio-carbon dated silk road samites in the collection of Katoen Natie, Antwerp, most notably, the toothed pattern on the long feathers making up its tail and on its belly, and the layout and decoration of feathers on the bird's body, as well as the spectacled appearance of its face." 

Original textile in the V&A Museum's Epic Iran exhibition
Photo by Nadeem Ahmad

Project requested and experted by: Nadeem Ahmad, Eran ud Turan
Artwork: Balázs Szakonyi

Sources:

Eran ud Turan: Photoset - Sasanian and post-Sasanian objects at Epic Iran
Nadeem Ahmad's Smugmug Gallery: Epic Iran at the V&A
Victoria and Albert Museum: Epic Iran Exhibition