The Silk Road Memoirs of WILLIAM the Magpie KHAN, 2024
WILLIAM KHAN (1202–?) was one of Genghis Khan’s uncountable illegitimate children – but then in 1202, who wasn’t? Dubbed William the Magpie for his obsession with valuables, baubles and war paints (which he insisted made him look fiercer). He often had his warriors wear the paint into battle, though historians strenuously debate if this was whimsy, intimidation or pure vanity. If you were to ask William it was seemingly all three.
A master of the rare and ancient art of curated looting, the Magpie handpicked the most extravagant carpets and exotic furniture from the spoils of war to adorn his otherwise pragmatic gers along the Onon River. His quiet flair for layering his trophies, conjuring opulence in the subtly beautiful but efficient terrain, was so admired that court ladies begged him to decorate their tents too – requests he indulged between raids, and cocktails.
120×120(cm)
47.2×47.2(inch)