Forgács Éva (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 9. (Budapest, 1989)

MIKLÓS Pál: A Hopp Ferenc Keletázsiai Művészeti Múzeum új szerzeménye

according to the colophons (i. e. the Mongols, and Tibetans, or tribes called Fans or Tanguts). They are all men, some sport a sparse beard and moustache, the others are not so distinguished. The costumes are more revealing. The riding and the walking boots seem to be Mongol felt-boots, but the walkers mostly wear a short tunic and trousers — probably they belong to the lower orders, i. e. they are servants. But there arc some walkers who wear a belted fur-lined kaftan — this is a Chinese habit. (The short tunics are belted as well). The short tunics and the long, furlined kaftans allow one to presume social differences. All the men wear caps. Two men wear caps. Two men (riding camels and wearing red kaftans) wear a high cupped cap (the Mongol bulgan malgai: sable cap), all the others wear the common fur-lined cap (the Mongol minjin malgai: fur-lined cap). These caps are used by the Khalkhas, and not by any other tribe. We can therefore suppose, that the men are Khalkha Mongols who live in Mongolia and in the North-Eastern part of China.

3 The arms are more interesting — and, possibly, chronologically more important. Two kinds of arms are visible: bows with arrows and long shot guns. (The arrows are on the back of the hunters, the bows in their left hand, except one that is just in use, as I have mentioned earlier). The guns are all carried an their shoulders in the lower strip, some by mounted hunters, some by those on foot. It is commonly known that the Mongols of Central Asia used bows and arrows and fire-arms together until the 19th century.

4 The question is: from when on? The shot guns on this painting are sometimes like a simple long stick — and in function, too: some meri carry a pheasant, hanging from the gun. We know that such shot guns — i. e. with a long barrel and a short and slightly bent butt, — were in use in the last century of the Ming reign, because the Manchus were not familiar with fire-arms before the invasion (1644), the old long shot guns (their Chinese name is niaoqiang, ,,fowling piece" (remained in use in the army in the first century of the Manchu Dynasty. They only changed form in the early 18th century. The barrel became shorter and the butt somewhat longer.

5 Beyond doubt, hunting was not a private pastime in that age. It was the privilege of the Emperor and of his generals. The Manchus, rulers of the Chinese empire, maintained their nomadic pleasure including, hunting as a favourite pastime. The great Manchu Emperor Kang-xi was a passionate traveller. He moved through the countryside with an escort, he personally controlled local governors and officials, and organized huge hunts, naturally only between November and February, that is in winter. The old common law of the steppe tribes assured in this way the multiplication of fauna and the quality of the fur. It seems likely that the Emperor's leasure was doubly fashionable among the Manchu and Mongol military leaders, as pars of their ancient nomadic life and following the imperial model.

6 That is all I can say after a first examination. The hunting party very likely consists of one or more Mongol aristocrats/chieftains? officials? with ther escort. (But I cannot decide who is boss among those wearing a red kaftan). The location may be in the North-Eastern part of China (the original Manchuria or Mongolia), because of the Khalkha costumes and the landscape. The date of the painting is probably the late 17th century, because of the identifiable arms, and the season is winter.