This arch decoration made of gold leaf is part of a set of six gold facings used to decorate a wooden saddle discovered in the tomb of a young Mongol noblewoman.¹ Like all Central and East Asian nomadic peoples, the Mongols were passionate about their horses; furthermore, they to accorded a higher status and more physical freedom to women than the Chinese (in this and other ways the Mongols demonstrated an unwillingness to assimilate Chinese attitudes and customs).

For these reasons, it is not surprising for equestrian equipment to be found in the tomb of a Mongol female, although a saddle decorated with gold such as this is certainly a rare object. The saddle ornaments found in the tomb were crafted by hammering the gold leaf over a relief-carved mold. The decorative motif is that of a reclined deer framed in a four-petal blossom lozenge and surrounded by vines, leaves and flowers.

(1) Adam T. Kessler, Empires Beyond the Great Wall: The Heritage of Genghis Khan (Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 1993), p. 160.