|
|
|
|
|
|
|
13th century Golden Horde Raised, polished, chased and engraved gold Cups worn on the belt were one of the characteristic features
of Mongol horseback culture. Items made of precious metals - belts, drinking
vessels worn on the belt and horse ornaments - were a symbol of the sovereign
power of the nomadic nobility, while the artefacts themselves, forming
part of the system of gifts from senior members of the hierarchy to their
juniors, served to strengthen the prestige of the leaders of the local
steppe elites. The shape of the handle here and the nature of the decoration
reveal the influence of Chinese art. In the Chinese tradition dragons
are a symbol of imperial power, wisdom and power, including the male power
in nature. The upper edge of the vessel is embellished with a band ornament
featuring a stylized undulating stem and palmettes. Inside, at the bottom
is a medallion surrounded by a belt of small festoons. It contains an
image of a lotus and plant ornament on a stippled background. Above the
medallion is a short Arabic inscription executed in a mirror-writing version
of "Tiurki" - the Turko-Tatar literary script. It reads "the
six hundred and seventeenth year of the Hegira from Mecca to Medina has
begun". Evidently a pre-existing text was copied onto the vessel
from some other object. It is unlikely that either the client or the craftsman
was the author of the text, or indeed that they could read it. However,
a rich man wanted the vessel he ordered embellished with an inscription
of this sort: its character points to the milieu of nomads who had only
recently converted to Islam. The vessel reflects the artistic style of
the first decades of the 13th century. |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
