This woven silk ‘pidan’ (temple hanging) features a group of motifs comprising figurative motifs in two-tier registers, and flanked on both ends a band of candelabra across the width of the weft to mark the high social status of the commissioner of this textile.Woven cloths were highly valued as objects of beauty and wealth. They were presented as gifts to loyal officials and important visitors at the court. Pidan were also used as decoration in the bride’s home during a marriage. Ceremonial pidan were also donated to temples to cover the walls and ceilings where Buddha images were housed. Donations of pidan were been considered a form of merit-making.
