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

ring-holders, round hooks, and pendants, the purpose of which is uncertain,
but for which there is always the possibility of their having been connected
with a chain. It is only when this supposition is correct that these pieces can be
placed among objects derived from the east of Russia. Although in two cases
we find the well known hook, yet it would be incorrect to believe that they were
connected in any way with a belt, as the ornamentation demands in every case
that they should hang vertically.

A demon masque (Plate XXXII no. 3) holds a ring in its jaws. Above the
head is a square loop. The serpent-head under the ring reminds one of the
hooks on belt buckles. At each side of the demon are two ram-heads in
profile. The ring itself is entirely covered with hollowed designs. This ar-
tistic treatment is reminiscent of the famous treasure of the Oxus where rings,
particularly bracelets, are entirely covered with hollows once filled with inlay (11).
We mentioned, when studying Plate XVI no. 4, that the grotesque masque
belonged to Chinese art of the T'ang. Here it is combined with the technique
of inlay of Scytho-Sarmatian art, and in particular with its richest group, the
treasure of Oxus. It is quite possible that certain parts of this pendant were for-
merly inlayed. This unusual combination of forms suggests the end of the
T'ang period.

Plate XXXII no. 4 should be considered a pendant in spite of the stunted
hook at the lower edge. We shall speak of other forms of this type in Chap-
ter IX, no. 3. The rim of disk and loop is composed of a beaded ribbon,
each bead a little square. The principal decorative motive is a ribbon divided
into four scrolls. As with all bronzes where the ornamentation is purely geo-
metric, we suggest a date around 1000.

3) Decorated disks as pendants.

The objects with which we are here concerned are all pendants, as loops
permit our understanding the way in which they were attached. Plate XXXII
no. 5 has loops on each side of the centre of the ring. The edge is decorated
with spirals, an inheritance from the Chinese. The collared animal in the middle
should probably be considered a tiger. It is decorated with faintly drawn circles,
and is probably of the period after 1000. Plate XXXII no. 6 has three loops, one
below, and the other two above the middle of each side. The fabulous horned
beast in the centre is difficult to understand in detail, since sections of metal
connect the body with the edge. A foreleg touches the muzzle, the cork-screw
tail can be seen above the lower loop, and in this way the animal is contorted in
the Scytho-Sarmatian manner. Because of the weak ornamentation, the date
should correspond with that of the preceding example. Next we have an object
without loops but with a centre bar (Plate XXXII no. 7). In the upper half of
the disk is a dragon with long upper lip, in the lower, a wild animal that might
be a lion. The outlines are obscure and uncertain. Parallels of this bronze