Scarf - Dunhuang Nine Colored Deer Red Faux Silk, 35.5 in

Nine Colored Deer Scarf: A Silk Road Jataka Tale

This Nine Colored Deer scarf brings a cave mural to a 35.5 in satin square. A pale spotted deer stands on a deep crimson ground. Stylized mountains rise behind it, and a lotus-scroll border frames the scene. It is a rare Dunhuang art scarf for lovers of Silk Road art.

The design comes from a wall painting in Mogao Cave 257, near Dunhuang in northwest China. The Mogao Caves hold hundreds of Buddhist temples cut into a desert cliff. Murals there span about a thousand years. This deer panel is among the earliest and best loved.

Product Details

• Material: Satin polyester faux silk
• Finish: Satin, printed on one side
• Edges: Stitched
• Size: 35.5 in x 35.5 in (90 x 90 cm)
• Product number: EV1029

The Story of the Deer

The tale is a Jataka, a story of one of the Buddha's past lives. A rare deer with a multicolored coat rescues a poor man from a river. The man later betrays the deer to the king's hunters for a reward. The deer speaks in a human voice and tells the king the truth. The king frees the deer.

The British Library's Dunhuang project says the lesson is compassion and respect for all living beings. Another telling has the man lost in a desert storm instead. Storytellers shaped such tales for listeners who could not read.

The Nine Colored Deer scarf tells that story without a single word. A Dunhuang art scarf like this one works as a conversation piece. Each Mogao Caves mural was meant to be read by eye. The Silk Road scarf format turns it into something to wear. The Nine Colored Deer scarf also makes the legend easy to share.

Reading the Mural

Early Dunhuang murals show strong Indian and Central Asian influence. Painters outlined figures in fluid lines and filled areas with flat color. The deer mural dates to about the fifth century CE, though dating is approximate.

The lotus scroll links it to a decorative language shared along the Silk Road. A Mogao Caves mural like this one teaches through gesture and symbol, not perspective.

Wearing and Displaying the Scarf

Wear it at the neck or over the shoulders. The deep red makes a strong accent against dark clothing. Keep it out of direct sunlight to protect the printed colors.

Hang the Nine Colored Deer scarf flat to show the lotus border. A Silk Road scarf also pairs well with plain linen. The Dunhuang art scarf folds into a neat square for a bag. Display the Nine Colored Deer scarf beside a book on Buddhist art. A Mogao Caves mural reads best when you see the whole panel.

More Asian art is in our Asian art collection. A Silk Road scarf also pairs with a piece from our tote bag collection.

Dunhuang, a Crossroads of Faiths

Dunhuang sat where Silk Road routes met at the edge of the Gobi Desert. Monks, merchants and patrons paid for murals over many centuries. Chinese, Indian and Central Asian ideas mingled on the cave walls. The paintings still teach through color, line and story.

For More Reading from the Web

• Meet the deer of nine colors among the Jataka tales that Dunhuang artists painted. Jataka Stories - Buddhism on the Silk Roads, British Library
• Compare a second telling of the legend and find its cave in Dunhuang. Nine-coloured Deer - Confucius Institute for Scotland