Steps cut into the rocks lead to a plateau from which rise the foundations of a three-tiered pagoda. A second, broken flight of steps continues to the narrow entrance, past substantial columns of a variant Ionic order. The pagoda roofs have external concave ribs terminating in sharply upswept eaves, fringed or feathered on the ends, each one supporting a single bell. The pagoda is isolated by a heavy bank of mist from the valley below. A river flows beneath it through an arch or cavern. Fantastic birds wheel in the air and animate the foreground. No human being is seen, although the bow and quiver at left imply human activity. These hang before a light shelter, semi-concealed by rich drapery. The textile is looped carelessly over the branch of a tree amid clutters of heavy fruit. From Anna Gray Bennett, "Five Centuries of Tapestry: The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco" (San Francisco: Chronicle Books; The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 1976; repr. 1992): p. 274.