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About Mongolia Art and Culture Mongolian Craft, Designs and Costumes
About Mongolia Art and Culture Mongolian Craft, Designs and Costumes | Mongolian Craft, Designs and Costumes |
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 Mongolian nomads' homes, clothes, weapons , and way of life are impossible to imagine without Mongolia's unique crafts, patterns, and embroidery. A special aesthetic has developed from the common things used in the everyday life of nomads over thousands of years.The beginning of the decorative arts in Mongolia dates back to pre-Bronze Age, with cave paintings. These can be found throughout Mongolia, but the highest concentration of cave paintings are in the mountains of western Mongolia, in the provinces of Hovd and Bayan Olgii. The Bronze Age saw the development of molten metal and zooform art. An example are the "deer stones" one can find dotting the Mongolian countryside: stone slabs with simplified, stylized deer carved in relief. Fortunetelling conglomerations of animal figures and animal body parts characterized the art of the Hunnu and Bronze Age people who lived in Mongolian territory. The Uighur people were an influential group who lived in the 8th century. They made gold earrings, horses' bits for the first time decorated by continuous ornament, and vases with wave motifs. People of the Khyatan state (911-1115) capably developed all kinds of craft and embroidery art because they viewed art and culture to be as important as politics and government. They elected wise leaders who were equally skilled in the making of weapons, saddle, bow and arrow, etc. Many stone masons lived in this century. Also during this time, a process of firing pottery in green, yellow, and black porcelain and enamel was developed.  During
the time of Chinggis Khaan, traditional craft and embroidery art were
enriched with influences from foreign cultures. Applique art was
dedicated to Buddha and reached a classical degree of development. This
art was an extension of the early folk embroidery in the countryside.
To decorate the royal palace, exaggerated, stylized forms of animals on
felt and silk were ornately embroidered. In the largest cities of Great
Mongolia were many beautiful palaces decorated by such crafts and
embroidery.The 19th and 20th centuries made up an energetic period of development of craft and decoration. At the end of the 19th century, popular craftspeople, embroiderers, and artists gathered to create Ganjuur and Danjuur, two books of about 300 volumes, and Duinhor's Loilon. Tsam dance, a Buddhist religious dance, flourished in the time leading up to Communism, and many fine examples of the elaborate constumes used in the dances can be found in the Fine Art Museum and Choijin Lama's Museum. Mongolian paintings, sculpture, embroidery, felt art, leather art, bookmaking, Buddhist prints, and bone, wood, and fossil amber craft work developed powerfully in this time. Mongolians revolted to gain independence from China and the Manchurians in 1911, and decided to renew the old monasteries and stations. The People's Republic of Mongolia was established in 1924 with the help of the Soviets, and in 1926, by unofficial census, there were 255 crafts people for silver, 297 for metal, and 85 for embroidery in Mongolia. Soon after, religion was banned in Mongolia and many monasteries and their inhabitants were destroyed. Mongolian crafts survived, though, with a new focus on supporting and promoting the Communist state. Starting intensively in the 1930s, craft art essentially separated from the herding life style and became an independent section of Mongolian art. Today one can find Mongolian patterns decorating everything from ancient Mongolia jewelry to Soviet-style apartment buildings. There are 7000 different kinds of Mongolian patterns. Ancient patterns include "Sulden (emblem) khee" very widely used in Mongolia, and 'Galan (fire) khee." This is a very important pattern today because Mongolians honor Fire. Many Mongolian patterns symbolize the wishes and aims of Mongolians. Traditional Costumes  The
main garment is the del, a long, one-piece gown made from wool or silk.
Most Mongolians have several different dels, appropriate for different
seasons, as well as a more decorative del for special occasions. Winter
dels are often lined with sheep skin. The del has a high collar, is
often brightly colored, is worn with a multipurpose sash, and is worn
by men and women year-round. Ethnic groups are differentiated by the
color, decoration, and shape of their del.The khantaaz is a shorter traditional jacket, often made of silk, which is also buttoned to the side, and usually worn over the del. The gutul is a high boot made from thick leather and sometimes decorated ornately. They are easy to put on - both the left and right boot are the same shape. There exist many explanations for the curled, upturned toe, but the most likely one is religious - the upturned end touches less earth and therefore theoretically kills fewer bugs, in accordance with Buddhist teachings about the non-taking of life. |
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