Minneapolis Institute of Art

Gilt Silver Belt Set

China

Date

916–1125

Medium

Chased silver with gilt

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Worked in high relief, these fourteen silver plaques originally embellished a leather belt belonging to a member of the Liao (916-1125) aristocracy. The two large pieces are decorated in repoussé with a stag running in a sparse landscape through rocks and tufts of grass. The six square plaques are each decorated with a recumbent doe in high relief. The four small shield-shaped fittings acted as grommets from which various items were suspended. While the basic repoussé techniques and taste for precious metals can be seen as a carryover from Tang, the subject matter of relatively naturalistic deer in an open landscape would have been especially relevant to the semi-nomadic Liao people. China, Asia

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