Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections

Bunker, Emma C., with contributions by James C. Y. Watt and Zhixin Sun (2002)

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Description

Four thousand years ago a remarkable culture, that of the pastoral nomads, emerged in the Eurasian steppes north of the Great Wall of China, in the vast expanse of grasslands that stretches from Siberia into Central Europe. By the first millennium B.C., material prosperity among the nomads had brought about a flowering of creativity and the evolution of a new artistic vocabulary.

The pastoral peoples left no written record, but the artifacts that remain provide a key to understanding their culture and beliefs. Beautifully crafted and highly sophisticated and abstract in design, these objects are visual representations of the natural and supernatural worlds that guided their lives.

An equestrian people, the nomads produced many objects associated with horses and the paraphernalia of riding. These were embellished primarily with animal motifs. The figures that populate these small objects—ibex and hedgehogs, deer and camels, griffins and dragons—at time exhibit violence and aggression, at times an appealing charm, but always spirit and vitality. This "animal style" would remain a significant source of inspiration in the decorative arts of the Eurasian continent for centuries to come.

The artistic exchange between the pastoral peoples and their settled Chinese neighbors through trade, migration, marriage alliances, and warfare contributed to the cultural development of both groups. This book chronicles that exchange and tells of the legacy of their art, with iconographic analyses and detailed descriptions of nearly two hundred artifacts.

The objects, a recent gift to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, are drawn from the distinguished collection of Eugene V. Thaw, with additional works selected from other New York collections and from the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum.

Table of contents

Director's Foreword
Philippe de Montebello

Acknowledgments

Collector's Foreword
Eugene V. Thaw

Maps

The World of the Eurasian Nomads

North China, Mongolia, and Southern Siberia

Introduction
James C. Y. Watt

The Land and the People
Emma C. Bunker

Artifacts: Regional Styles and Production Methods
Emma C. Bunker

Catalogue
Emma C. Bunker with contributions by Zhixin Sun

1. Horse Harness Fittings
2. Wheeled Transportation
3. Weapons, Helmets, and Tools
4. Belt Ornaments
5. Garment Plaques and Hooks
6. Personal Ornaments
7. Mirrors, Tools for Musical Instruments, and Ceremonial Paraphernalia
8. Vessels and Implements

The Legacy of Nomadic Art in China and Eastern Central Asia
James C. Y. Watt

Bibliography

Index

About the authors

Emma C. Bunker is Research Consultant in the Asian Art Department at the Denver Art Museum and a scholar in the art of the pastoral peoples of North China, southern Siberia, and Central Asia.

James C. Y. Watt is Brooke Russell Astor Chairman of the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Zhixin Sun is Associate Curator in the Department of Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Press reviews

Choice Reviews Online

"... the volume succeeds in presenting both an interesting and scholarly overview of the previously insufficiently studied eastern nomadic art."

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (2)

Timelines (2)

Central and North Asia, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.

China, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.

Exhibition

Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other Notable New York Collections

This exhibition presents the dynamic art of the nomads who roamed the Eastern Eurasian steppes during the first millennium B.C. and influenced the art of the sedentary cultures that came in contact with them. Dating from the tenth century B.C. to the second century A.D., the objects on view—in bronze, gold, silver and jade—include horse harnesses and chariot fittings, belt ornaments, garment plaques, weapons, and vessels. While the majority of these works are from the Mongolian steppes and North China, a small number are from Central Asia, Siberia, and from as far away as Eastern Europe. The works are drawn largely from the collection of Eugene V. Thaw, a recent gift to the Museum, and also include selections from other private collections and the Metropolitan Museum's holdings.

In the early part of the first millennium B.C. the inhabitants of the vast Eurasian steppes began to practice a new form of economy known as pastoral nomadism that was based on livestock herding and involved frequent seasonal migrations. The economic success that the nomads had achieved by the fifth century B.C. brought about the efflorescence of a distinctive artistic style that was characterized by its extensive use of animal motifs. The animals, both wild and domestic, are represented either realistically or in varying degrees of stylization, creating a rich decorative vocabulary of imagery. Among principal examples in the exhibition are a bronze belt plaque depicting a fierce wolf attacking a doe, and a gold belt buckle inlaid with semiprecious stones showing a bear biting the shoulder of an ibex.

The exhibition is organized according to the functions of the objects and draws the viewers' attention to each work's aesthetic appeal. It also aims to illustrate the nomads' contributions to the art of their settled neighbors in urban centers. The bold and dynamic images of the "animal style" art that the nomads created remained a vital source of inspiration in the decorative arts of the Eurasian continent.

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