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Animal style art is an approach to decoration found from China to Northern Europe in the early Iron Age, and the barbarian art of the Migration Period, characterized by its emphasis on animal motifs. The zoomorphic style of decoration was used to decorate small objects by warrior-herdsmen, whose economy was based entirely on animals and plunder.〔Emma C.Bunker, ''Animal Style Art from East to West'', Asia Society. p. 13〕 ==Eastern styles== (詳細はScythian art makes great use of energetic animal motifs, one component of the "Scythian triad" of weapons, horse-harness, and Scythian-style wild animal art. The cultures referred to as Scythian-style included the Cimmerian and Sarmatian cultures in European Sarmatia and stretched across the Eurasian steppe north of the Near East to the Ordos culture of China. These cultures were extremely influential in spreading many local versions of the style. Steppe jewellery features various animals including stags, cats, birds, horses, bears, wolves and mythical beasts. The gold figures of stags in a crouching position with legs tucked beneath its body, head upright and muscles tight to give the impression of speed, are particularly impressive. The "looped" antlers of most figures are a distinctive feature, not found in Chinese images of deer. The species represented has seemed to many scholars to be the reindeer, which was not found in the regions inhabited by the steppes peoples at this period. The largest of these were the central ornaments for shields, while others were smaller plaques probably attached to clothing. The stag appears to have had a special significance for the steppes peoples, perhaps as a clan totem. The most notable of these figures include the examples from: *the burial site of Kostromskaya in the Kuban dating from the 6th century BC (Hermitage) *Tápiószentmárton in Hungary dating from the 5th century BC, now National Museum of Hungary, Budapest *Kul Oba in the Crimea dating from the 4th century BC (Hermitage).〔Loehr, Max, "The Stag Image in Scythia and the Far East", ''Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America'', Vol. 9, (1955), pp. 63-76, (JSTOR )〕 Another characteristic form is the openwork plaque including a stylized tree over the scene at one side, of which two examples are illustrated here. Later large Greek-made pieces often include a zone showing Scythian men apparently going about their daily business, in scenes more typical of Greek art than nomad-made pieces. Some scholars have attempted to attach narrative meanings to such scenes, but this remains speculative.〔Farkas, Ann, "Interpreting Scythian Art: East vs. West", ''Artibus Asiae'', Vol. 39, No. 2 (1977), pp. 124-138, DOI 10.2307/3250196, (JSTOR )〕 Although gold was widely used by the ruling elite of the various Scythian tribes, the predominant material for the various animal forms was bronze. The bulk of these items were used to decorate horse harness, leather belts & personal clothing. In some cases these bronze animal figures when sewn onto stiff leather jerkins & belts, helped to act as armour. The use of the animal form went further than just ornament, these seemingly imbuing the owner of the item with similar prowess and powers of the animal which was depicted. Thus the use of these forms extended onto the accoutrements of warfare, be they swords, daggers, scabbards, or axes. A distinct Permian style of bronze or copper alloy objects from around the 5th - 10th centuries CE are found near the Ural mountains and the Volga and Kama rivers in Russia. () 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Animal style」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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