The control of most of Asia by the Mongols,
“Turkic” literary language in cursive script con-
the so-called Pax Mongolica, marked an increase
nects it to the Ulus Juchi (Golden Horde,
in trade and cultural transmission between the
descended from Genghis Khān’s eldest son Juchi
Mongol empire in China and Central Asia and
whose centre was located in the Volga Basin in
also led to the introduction of accoutrements
the Qıpchaq steppe) The inscription reads: “In
associated with the nomadic culture of the Mon-
the year since the Prophet Muḥammad went from
gols Among these are a group of twelfth- and
Mecca to Medina six hundred seventeen [years
thirteenth-century dragon-handled cups, or belt-
of the lunar calendar] have passed ” The date cor-
bowls, both in silver and gold, mostly found
responds to 1220–1 It is however probable that
among grave goods distributed over a wide geo-
the inscription was added at a later date This type
graphical region 5 A well-known example is the
of cup was developed in the northern regions of
thirteenth-century gold dragon-handled cup, or
China and Mongolia as exemplified by vessels
dipper, which is part of the Siberian Collection
made in the states ruled by non-Han (i e non-
of Peter the Great (fig 182) 6
Central Plain) Chinese tribes such as the Liao
The cup’s relief-cast handle is rendered in the
(916–1125) and Jin dynasties (1115–1234) 7 The
form of a horizontally-projecting scaly serpentine
shallow drinking vessel seems to have been
‘neck’ rearing up and terminating in an outward-
designed as a portable container which could be
oriented dragon head with flowing mane and
carried by travellers suspended from a belt or
curled up snout which attaches to the rim The
saddle by the loop formed by the dragon’s pro-
head has a short snout, a ribbed upper lip and
tome 8
shorter, curved, lower lip; a gold ring is held in
Belts set with depictions of the dragon are
the clenched jaws The small eyes may have been
known to have been produced in the steppe
set with stones that are now missing The beard
regions of northern China from at least the West-
hair projecting from the rounded flews terminates
ern Jin period (265–316) 9 The large number of
in curls An angular gold wire extends from the
excavated Qitan-Liao-period belt/strap fittings
dragon’s forehead to the lip of the bowl An
and harness ornaments with dragon motifs10
inscription on the bottom of the cup in the
moreover indicate that the dragon motif was well
5 For a list of extant belt-bowls with dragon-headed
fifteenth-century example of a wine boat in Tehran, National
handles found in Siberia, the Transcaucasus, the Dnieper
Museum of Iran, inv no 8841 ( Shah ʿAbbas, 2009, p 161,
region, the Middle Ob region, and in Bulgaria, see
cat no 76) or fifteenth-century examples, such as a cup in
Kramarovsky, 2000, p 204 To this may be added an exam ple
the same museum, inv no 8842 ( Shah ʿAbbas, 2009, p 160,
discovered in a tree burial in Kurgan 7 of the excavations in
cat no 75), an example in London, British Museum, inv no
Olen’-Kolodez’ on the left bank of the Don river (Kashirski
1961 2–13 I ( The Arts of Islam, 1976, p 129, no 113; Timur
district, Woronesch region) which can be dated to the first
and the Princely Vision, 1987, p 143, 340, cat no 52; Grube,
half of the twelfth-century (Efimov, K J , “ Zolotoordynskie
1988–9, p 189, fig 10A), or another from the art market
pogrebenija iz mogil’nika Olen’-Kolodez,” Donskaja ar -
(Sotheby’s, 27 April, 1981, lot 122; Grube, 1988–9, p 189,
che ologija, no 3/4, 1999, pp 93–102, referred to by
fig 10B), a ewer in Washington, DC, National Collection of
Kramarovsky, 2005, p 224)
Fine Arts, inv no 1928 8 292 (Grube, 1988–9, p 190, fig 11)
6 Cf Basilov, 1989, p 72 (upper photograph); Golden
or yet another cup in San Francisco, Asian Art Museum,
Horde, 2000, pp 212–3, cat no 12; Legacy, 2002, fig 197,
The Avery Brundage Collection, inv no B60 J160 ( Timur
cat no 155 Herodotus ( History, IV 8–10) mentions the suc-
and the Princely Vision, 1987, pp 222, 353, cat no 120)
cessful girding of a belt with a golden goblet attached to the
The dating of some of these nephrite vessels has been chal-
clasp as a qualifying trial imposed on the forefather and first
lenged by Melikian-Chirvani (1997, pp 134–62, figs 5–7)
king of the Scythians In steppe culture belts emblazoned
who dates the Avery Brundage cup much earlier, between
with large, rectangular cast metal plaques were not only a
the tenth and the eleventh century (1997, pp 139–41,
predominant component of pastoral paraphernalia, but are
145)
thought to have been status indicators and royal regalia of
9 White and Bunker, 1994, cat no 50, and eidem, 1999,
some significance Bunker, 1992, pp 216–7 Balbal s, the
p 71, fig 9
ancient Turkic memorial stone sculptures symbolising a man
10 In 1005 the Qitan-Liao emperor Shengzong (yelü
or a woman, are also often depicted with a round vessel sus-
Longxu) dispatched birthday gifts to the Song emperor
pended from the belt Bayar, 2005, p 71
Among these were belts, saddles and other imperial accou-
7 For instance, a silver example was unearthed from
trements adorned with gold or silver fittings depicting drag-
Aohan Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia (Inner Mon-
ons The conscious choice of such products as diplomatic
golia Autonomous Region Museum, height 5 2 cm, diameter
gifts, reflecting the priorities of a pastoral people, as well as
7 7 cm Ao Han Wen Wu Jing Hua (“Aohan China”), 2004,
their decoration with dragons, underline their importance to
p 203 (photograph at the bottom)
the Qitan-Liao Cf Wittfogel and Fêng, 1949, pp 147–8 For
8 Nephrite versions of dragon-handled vessels of different
examples of Qitan-Liao horse harness or belt accoutrements
shapes and with different dragon heads from Central Asia and
with dragon motifs, see White and Bunker, 1994, 1999, p 71,
the Iranian world survive, such as a late fourteenth- or early
fig 9; So, 2004, pp 284–5, cat no VI:6