Catalogue - Metropolitan Museum of Art

115 (Color plate 23)
The felt lions' heads are applied as
decoration in the same fashion as the
better-known gold plaques that were sewn
onto garments or attached to cloth and
leather hangings. Small gold lion heads of
closely similar design have been found
in Iran. The lion is unknown in the Altai
region and its presence on this piece
indicates the influence of Iranian works.
Hanging decorated with lions' heads. Felt,
length 135 cm. (531/8 in.).
Altai nomadic, 5th century B.C. Altai,
Pazyryk, kurgan 1. Excavations of M. P.
Gryaznov, 1929. Hermitage, 1295/52.
Rudenko, Drevneyshie kovry i tkani, p. 69,
fig. 52.
116
This piece, a horse's chest strap, is made
of wool and linen tapestry with roaring
lions in soft brown, black, and white,
mounted on felt and then on the leather
strap. The formal, decorated animals and
the sawtooth borders suggest Achaemenid
Persia as a source. The weave, itself an
early Near Eastern specialty, is very fine
(about 50 warps, 250 wefts per running
inch). Here the nomads are using material
from their neighbors on the west to
decorate their treasured horses.
Horse's breastband covered with an Iranian
textile decorated with striding lions. Wool,
linen, moss, and gold, width 8 cm. (31/8 in.).
Altai nomadic, 5th-4th century B.C. Altai,
Pazyryk, kurgan 5. Excavations of S. I.
Rudenko, 1949. Hermitage, 1687/100.
Rudenko, Kultura Gornogo Altaya, p. 351,
pl. CXVII, fig. 191.
116
117 (Color plate 23)
This saddle blanket comes from the most
richly caparisoned of 9 noble horses
stretched out in full regalia in the horse
burial of kurgan 5 at Pazyryk. A
rectangle of fine, embroidered Chinese
silk-one of the earliest known-has been
mounted on felt by its nomadic owners.
The secret of sericulture and the resulting
exquisitely fine fabrics and embroideries
were a much-sought-after Chinese specialty
until well into the Christian era. The
ornament here is typical of the Ch'u state,
centered around Hunan province in
southern China in the late Chou and Han
periods. This sophisticated southern
civilization was known for its silks,
lacquers, and inlaid bronzes, all richly
and elegantly decorated. Silk was not
exported until the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-
A.D. 220), so this embroidery was
probably of the sort recorded in Chinese
annals as a "gift" (Chinese term) or
"tribute" (nomad term).
Saddle blanket (shabrak) covered with
Chinese silk. Wool, silk, gold, and leather,
width 64 cm. (253A6 in.).
Altai nomadic, 5th-4th century B.C. Altai,
Pazyryk, kurgan 5. Excavations of S. I.
Rudenko, 1949. Hermitage, 1687/101.
Rudenko, Kultura Gornogo Altaya, p. 214,
pl. CXVIII.
114
118 (Color plate 25)
Cut from felt and padded-probably with
reindeer hair-this swan has the sculptural
quality of the other northern nomadic arts
of woodcarving and metalworking. The
masterly handling of felt is characteristic
of these people. This ancient non-woven
fabric was made by stirring together a mass
of wool fibers, flattening them, and
applying pressure, moisture, and heat to
pack and firm the resulting fabric.
Various kinds of animal fiber were used
for different grades of felt; very fine
felt made of domesticated sheep wool, for
instance, was found at Pazyryk. Though
felt is the characteristic indigenous fabric
of Central Asia, felt objects sometimes
reflect influences from civilizations on the
nomads' eastern and western boundaries.
This swan suggests Chinese influence or a
Chinese prototype, recalling the Chinese
minor princesses who were married off to
nomadic chieftains in order to secure
peace on China's western border.
Swan. Felt, length 35 cm. (133% in.).
Altai nomadic, 5th-4th century B.C.
Altai, Pazyryk, kurgan 5. Excavations of S. I.
Rudenko, 1949. Hermitage, 1687/262.
Rudenko, Kultura Gornogo Altaya,
pl. CVIII.
119