CIETA—Bulletin 76，1999 SATIN SAMITE：A BRIDGE FROM SAMITE TO SATIN ZHAO Feng (English text edited by Hero Granger Taylor) In this paper, for the sake of brevity, two simplified new terms．“Liao samite”and“satin samite” will be used．These will denote two structures as follows．“Liao samite”is here used for the variety of compound twill which is in weft—faced 1/2 twill on both sides (samite is normally in weft— faced 1/2 twill on the front, or obverse, and in warp-faced 2/1 twill on the back．or reverse-for terminology see CIETA 1964)．Until now，a longer term，“compound twill，weft-faced on both sides”，has usually been used for this variety．I prefer to use“Liao samite”for convenience：a great deal of this weave has been found in tombs of the Liao or Khitan dynasty (AD 907 一 ll25), although examples have also been found dating from the Tang dynasty (AD 6l8—907)，as well as in contexts geographically outside the Liao empire．(The Liao empire was based on the area now easten Inner Mongolia and western Liaoning province-for the history of the period see Wittfogel and Feng l946 and Twitchett l993，also Riboud I997，P.29)． The second term, "satin samite", is proposed for the compound weave which is in weft-faced satin on both sides．This has the same structure as Liao samite except that the binding is in satin rather than in l/2 twill．(The longer term for this weave would be“compound satin．Weft-faced on both sides．Editor’s note：neither Liao samite or satin samite are，strictly speaking，“two-faced”; despite the similarity in the disposition of the binding warp on the two faces, on the reverse of the cloth all the weft colours not required on the front are bound together-see Figures 5, 6, and 7, where the reverse is shown uppermost，as during weaving)． I．SATlN SAMITE AND lTS VARlATl0NS The first “satin samite” textile to have been published is one of the silks preserved in Cave 17 at Dunhuang(Mogao Grottoes)：this single piece，EO.1193/L，was described by Gabriel Vial in 1970 who at that time did not know of other examples (Riboud ＆Vial 1970, PP．58-60 and diagrams)． The first piece of satin samite I encountered was found in a tomb located at Dayingzi．in eastern Inner Mongolia. The person buried there, Xiao Qulie, was the son-in-law of the first Liao emperor,YelüAbaoji；he had been given the title“king of Wei State”．This tomb can be dated to AD 959 on the basis of its epitaph. It was excavated in l954 but textile samples, including a small piece of satin samite，reached me only in 1992．In the brief report on silks from this tomb, I used the term“weft-faced compound satin”to describe this piece (Zhao＆Xue 1992，Riboud l 997 no5) The earliest pieces of satin samite found so far were discovered in the tomb of YelüYuzhi, located at Liefeng Hill，Arukerqin，in eastern Inner Mongolia. YelüYuzhi, born in 890 AD，was a direct relative of the Liao emperors and was Prime Minister of the Eastern Khitan from AD 926 to early in the Huitong period (AD 937-946-Huitong is the“reign period”of the second Liao emperor, Taizong or YelüDeguang, under whom the Liao expanded into northern China)．YelüYuzhi died in 94l AD and was buried a year later. It is conceivable that most of the costumes buried with him were woven in central China (Zhao 1996，Zhao&Qi 1996，Riboud 1997 no1)． Ten pieces of satin samite, including some variations of this weave, were found in this tomb. The most important piece is a robe with a design of confronted wild geese holding a knotted ribbon (Fig. 1 ). This was in several pieces and in bad condition. But the pattern was still visible, and the shape of the garment can be reconstructed. Other satin samite pieces have designs of paired eagles and confronted birds on, geometrical grounds. Further significant finds come from another early Liao tomb, at Daiqintala, in eastern Inner Mongolia. Many of the silks from this tomb are in the same weave and have the same designs as those from YelüYuzhi's tomb, and also include a robe made of satin samite with a design of wild geese (Fig. 1 ). It seems likely that this burial can be also be dated to the 940s. Fortunately the robe from this tomb is in better condition and I have been able to make a detailed analysis of it and have subsequently made a replica using a drawloom. (These textiles will be published shortly by the author.) In the late Tang dynasty, a robe with a design of paired confronted geese was a recognised emblem of office. It is recorded in the Xin Tangshu (New History of the Tang Dynasty) that the Dezong emperor (AD 780-805) in 787 granted to his higher ranking officials robes with a design of wild geese holding a knotted ribbon. He did this because wild geese, when flying, maintain an appropriate or graded formation or order, an example the emperor wished the officials to follow. In AD 827, the Wenzong emperor promulgated a new law relating to the emblematic designs used on the costumes of officials of the 3rd rank and above. This refers to the design of wild geese holding a knotted ribbon, as well as to one of falcons holding grass and to one of paired peacocks. Since the design of paired geese goes back to the Tang period it may be that the association of this design with the satin samite weave can also be dated from this time. (Author's postscript. This opinion is supported by my recent trip to Xi'an, previously Ch'ang-an, the capital of the Tang dynasty. Here I was able to study some examples from the large quantity of Tang period textiles excavated in 1987 from the chamber under the Famen Pagoda. According to the inscription inside the chamber, all the objects were donated to the Buddha early in 873 AD. Among the textiles I found a small fragment in compound satin with weft-faced 1/4 satin on the front but warp-faced 4/1 satin on the back. I would like for the meantime to call this weave "Tang satin samite". I think it is likely that satin samite which is weft-faced on both sides will be found among the Famen textiles during further research). The tradition of emblematic designs was adopted by some of the dynasties that followed the Tang, including the Later Tang and the Later Jin. The Liao inherited a great deal from these other dynasties and absorbed much of the culture of the Han people, especially after 938 (the first year of the Huitong reign) when they had gained control of the sixteen prefectures in the northern part of China itself. The Liao Shi (the History of the Liao dynasty) records Taizong, or YelüDeguang, in his turn granted silk robes with this design to his higher officials. So it seems likely that the use of this type of silk was among traditions that the emperor YelüDeguang had inherited from the Later Jin dynasty. There are by now a number of examples of satin samite weave held in western collections. Published pieces include a pair of boots at the Cleveland Museum of Art (inv. no 1992.349 & 350) which, on the leg, have a design of wild geese holding a flower (Watt and Wardwell 1997, no10) and a textile in the Alan Kennedy collection with the same design and weave (Kennedy 1997). Satin samite has a series of variations. It can be divided most conveniently into three categories: 1. "common satin samite", 2. "satin samite with weft floats", and 3. "brocaded satin samite". I will give examples from the Liao tombs in Inner Mongolia for each group. 1.1. Common satin samite Common satin samite (Figs. 2-3) is woven with two warps, one inner warp, called the main warp; and one outer warp, called the binding warp. The weft consists of passes each made up of two to seven complementary colours or lats. The yarn of both warps is usually without apparent twist (and in this detail these Liao-period textiles contrast with samites of the early Tang period which, as a rule, have warps of strongly twisted yarns). The threads of the binding warp are always single but the threads of the main warp are usually in pairs and sometimes in threes. The weft yarns are floss silk, i.e. are without twist, and occur in five to seven rich colours. With the exception of the binding, the weave of "satin samite" is very similar to that of "Liao samite". Within every unit of five binding warp threads, each thread of the binding warp is visible once on the obverse and once on the reverse of the fabric, i.e. where its job is to bind the appropriate weft. Where not required, that is, in the case of satin samite, for three passes out of five within every binding unit, each thread of the binding warp remains hidden between the two faces of the cloth, where it lies along side threads of the main warp. Because the threads of the binding warp are at times visible neither on the front or on the back of the cloth, the resulting weave can be described as being weft-faced on both the obverse and reverse.