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13th century Great Mongol State or Ulus Juchi Silver cast in a rigid mould, hammered, chased, gilded and nielloed The belt was one of the characteristic attributes of Mongol
horseback culture. This example probably originally consisted of 65-70
elements. Each of the elements indicated the warrior's degree of valour
and a belt was therefore a sort of "service record". The surviving
29 items of the set are decorated with images of fantastic creatures,
notably dragons. In these images we can detect parallels with the art
of China. In the Chinese tradition dragons are a symbol of imperial power,
wisdom and power, including the male power in nature. Only the emperor
himself and his closest relatives had the right to use the emblem of a
dragon with five claws. Depicted on this belt are three-pawed dragons,
a motif that the Mongols acquired from the Khitan state of Liao (916-1234)
to the north-east of China that had been subservient to the Mongols since
the 12th century. In the Mongol culture dragons were heraldic symbols
of Genghis Khan, the head of the state, and of the senior military elite,
the guard. The emblems representing the "emperor" and his guard
became established between 1204-06 and 1217. Belts of this type date from
the time of the formation and flourishing of the single Mongol state.
They belonged to the elder generation of the officer corps of the Juchids
who arrived in the European part of the steppes around the middle of the
13th century. In the late 14th century belts of this kind disappeared. |
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