国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

small appliques (Pl. XV no. 4). Its artistic kinship to the vulture-head of Plate XI
no. 17 is striking. Since we know no western prototype, we must consider it an
invention from our region. The doubling of the motive with holes more or
less pierced and ringed, is only a variation without change (Pl. XV no. 5). Ander-
son has pointed out in what way this ornament was made entirely geometric (51).
The last phase before the complete overthrow of all natural elements is especially
well represented in the Loo collection by Plate XV no. 6. In this case the depar-
ture from realism is less akin to the fox-head described above than to the wild
animal-head of Plate XV no. 1, where there is the same repetition of the outline
by inner lines.
h) Coiled animals.
With the resting stag, the coiled animal forms part of the most ancient
and at the same time the most widespread of motives in the art of the Steppes.
It can be followed in all its phases, from the first find at Kelermes (52) with
naturalistic and stylized elements, down to the degenerate forms of the Ural (53)
and of the Jenissei valley. Let us say once and for all, that the examples from
the Loo collection all belong to a period of about 1000 or after, and are more
related to Minussinsk than to the region that saw the birth of the motive.
Already there is scarcely any modeling in the coiled animal of Plate XV no. 7,
fairly easy to recognise as a lynx. There is a border of bird-heads and a ringed
hole in the centre. The rings which emphasize certain parts of the head are very
distinct. Plate XV no. 8 shows a wolf's head in profile. The slightly decor-
ated tail turns way around above the head. There are no real rings as in the former
piece, and the forms in the centre seem rather to be claws. A bronze from
Lake Baikal (unpublished) is similarly arranged. A bird-head (Pl. XV no. 9)
has transformed this piece into a fantastic creature. Rings, concentric circles
and stripes, all stand out clearly. A two-headed body (Pl. XV no. 10), also
coiled, is a wild beast at the outer curve, a bird at the inner. Only the heads
are perforated; following the contour there is a design that might be a mane.
A last lingering of the motive is found on Plate XV nos. 11-13. Here, as in
the Ural (54), there are two animals of the same species, perhaps two bears
encircled by a beaded ribbon (Pl. XV no. 11). The limbs of the animals do not
form the centre, but a deer is turned in the axis. The three pierced eyes help
us to understand the design, and the only other perforations are on the hind-
quarters of the bears. The combination of two animals and their prey is also
found in the Ural (55). The example of Plate XV no. 12 is a repetition of the
first coiled animal of the Loo collection (Pl. XV no. 7), but less clear, flattened
and only slightly perforated when at all. It has been embellished with a beaded
ribbon and with two bird-heads in the centre. As usual, we find an incomparable
primitiveness in the last phase (Pl. XV no. 13). An outer edge surrounds an
entirely inarticulated animal, the head of which is seen full-face. Perforations,