The Scythian Stag in Contemporary Arts and Craft: Tuva and Abroad

Authors

  • Katherine Zeahan Leung Independent Researcher

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2021.1.5

Keywords:

Scythian gold; Scythian stag; Scythian imagery; Tuva; Tuvan culture; contemporary art; photography; tattoo; folk art; fashion; national costume; textile; wool felt; wood carving

Abstract

The article examines the interest in Scythian imagery and motifs in contemporary arts and crafts, both in Tuva and outside Russia, on a surge after the excavation of Arzhan II burial site. As proved by numerous references, the most popular of the Arzhan II finds was the stylized image of the Scythian stag on a golden hair pin. It has since appeared on the photo taken by Russian photographer Andrei Bronnikov, whose main subject is jewelry. Tattoo artists in English-speaking regions have seen an uptick in customers requesting Scythian stag tattoo designs, due in large part to the discovery of the popularly dubbed “Ukok Princess” and increase in interest in prehistoric fantasy media. Russian-speaking fashion designers redefine textile and ornament in the twenty-first century, influenced by the golden accents of the looped stag in their work, at times inventing an embellished narrative of the past. Folk crafters have created costume and jewelry designs for a different world they wish to inhabit, even creating alter-egos and stories that accompany Scythian-inspired pieces. Finally, within Tuva, wood carving continues thanks to trailblazers that promote folk handicrafts through education and archival work.

Artists around the world are fascinated by this unique relic of the past and employ the symbol in romantic imaginings of their past and present.

References

Armbruster, B. (2009) Gold technology of the ancient Scythians — gold from the kurgan Arzhan 2, Tuva. ArcheoSciences, vol. 33 http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/2193/ (accessed 22.08.2020).

Bunker, E. C. (2002) Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other New York Collections. Yale University Press. 233 p.

Farkas, A. (1977) Interpreting Scythian Art: East vs. West. Artibus Asiae, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 124–138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3250196

Loehr, M. (1955) The Stag Image in the Scythia and the Far East. Archives of the Chiense Art Society of America, vol. 9, pp. 63–67. URL: www.jstor.org/stable/20066973 (accessed 22.08.2020).

Tyukhtenyeva, S. P. (2018) Etnicheskoe predprinimatel'stvo bez migratsii (na primerakh iz Tuvy i Kalmykii) [Ethnic entrepreneurship without migration: the cases of Tuva and Kalmykia]. New Research of Tuva, no. 2, pp. 149–167. DOI: doi: https://www.doi.org/10.25178/nit.2018.2.8 (In Russ.)

Published

17.03.2021

How to Cite

For citation:
Leung K. Z. The Scythian Stag in Contemporary Arts and Craft: Tuva and Abroad. New Reasearch of Tuva, 2021, no. 1, pp. 91-106. DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.25178/nit.2021.1.5

Для цитирования:
Leung K. Z. The Scythian Stag in Contemporary Arts and Craft: Tuva and Abroad // Новые исследования Тувы. 2021. № 1. С. 91-106. DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.25178/nit.2021.1.5

Issue

Section

Aspects of Culture

Author Biography

Katherine Zeahan Leung, Independent Researcher

Independent scholar, USA.  Postal address: 368 Nature Drive Apt B San Jose, CA 95123. Tel.: +1 (512) 423-7269. E-mail: leungk@utexas.edu