Pommel Plate from a Saddle

13th–15th century
Not on view
The style, materials, and decorative techniques of this pommel plate are like those on Tibetan saddles, but this is the only known pommel plate to feature human figures or a secular scene of any kind, in this case a tiger hunt. It is very similar to hunting scenes that occur frequently on early fourteenth-century metalwork from the Ilkhanate, a state founded by the Mongols in Persia, which suggests that this plate was made for a Mongol patron, either in Persia or in Tibet, based on Ilkhanid designs.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pommel Plate from a Saddle
  • Date: 13th–15th century
  • Culture: Mongolian (Central or West Asian) or Tibetan
  • Medium: Iron, gold, silver
  • Dimensions: 5 5/8 x 10 1/2 in. (14.3 x 26.7 cm)
  • Classification: Saddle Plates
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Gift, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.336
  • Curatorial Department: Arms and Armor

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