Casting Model for Belt Plaque

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A primary beast-of-burden on the Silk Route, the camel plays a surprisingly minor role in the visual arts of Central Asia and China prior to the sixth century A.D. It seems likely that this plaque served as a model for the making of molds which in turn were sued to cast belt plaques or other adornments for people, horses, and chariots, favored by the Xiongnu and other Central Asian inhabitants.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art