National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

Finnish (9) and Scandinavian (10) soil. It is significant that Arne considers the
examples from the latter country an importation from the Baltic provinces
north of Russia. In Finland as well as in Scandinavia, the date, in part reached
by the discovery of coins, is about 1000. This date corresponds very well with
that of the chain-holder of north China which should be of the same period
(Plate XXXI no. 1). It is composed of a tiger with back-turned head standing
on two short serpents. In front of the neck where usually there is a hook, is
a large loop. The heart-shaped ear, the curled upper lip, and the collar, should
be considered reminders of the ancient Chinese art of the III century B.C. On
the other hand the beaded edge, the rosettes on the joints, and the ribbon around
the middle of the body agree with the conventions of the late period. One should
notice in particular that part of the background has been left although it has no-
thing to do with the composition. The artist forgot to clean his bronze after the
casting. The general design is nothing but an adaptation of the plaque of Plate
XIX no. 4, combined with a chain. We also find the roe, familiar to us from
the study of belt-hooks (Plate XIX no. 7), here used as a ring-holder from which
the chain was probably attached (Plate XXXI no. 2). The way in which the body
is treated makes it impossible for this object to be later than its parallel, that is,
it should be dated about the end of the I millennium. The same remarks hold
good for Plate XXXI no. 3. Once more we find reminders of the very char-
acteristic forms of ancient China usually identified with Ch'in art. The flat and
engraved treatment of the animal-heads on the hook, the striped ribbons of the
brows, as well as the geometric details in the middle of the bar, leave us in no
doubt concerning the model. But the animals-heads which serve to hold the
rings at the lower edge are very much farther away from ancient Chinese forms.
It seems certain that the so called Ch'in style needs to be seriously studied in
order to determine its limits in time and space. It is impossible to retain the
narrow boundaries of the dates accepted today. In any event the chain-holder
we have just described already proves the long duration of ornamental forms
called Ch'in.
With Plate XXI no. 4 we find once more, above the rings, one of the common-
est motives of our region. The ringed paws of the tiger, so simplified as to be
unrecognisable, connects this piece with Minussinsk. This example is evidently
a survival of that period after the year 1000. But the tiger of Plate XXXII no. 1,
although it is less connected with Siberia, should be dated in the same way. The
summary accentuation of the surface is dominated by the double spiral. Finally,
with Plate XXXII no. 2 we reach an animal form above the rings that has com-
pletely degenerated and cannot be given a zoological determination. The last
phase has been reached again, the beginning of the II millennium.
2) Separate pendants.
Under this heading we are placing all objects that by their form fall between