Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan

In the 13th century the nomadic tribes of Mongolia came together briefly under the inspired leadership of Genghis Khan to create one of the largest empires the world has ever known. It survived barely a century, but its impact on popular imagination has been great. Beginning in the 16th century, leaders struggled to reunite the Mongol tribes and to recast the forms of their early empire in art. This renaissance produced a vast legacy of art, to which this book is devoted. The book, published to accompany a major travelling exhibition drawn from Mongolia's national museums and library, provides a view of Mongolian Buddhist life and presents, in 200 illustrations, a diverse array of treasures: opulent headdresses, radiant bronze sculptures, colourful and exotic masks, richly decorated manuscripts and book covers, and the spun-gold robes of the last "Bogdo Khan" ("Enlightened King"). An introductory text describing the birth of the Mongol culture is followed by essays exploring the rich historical background and examining the ways in which the various forms of art were used. Each photographed object is accompanied by an extended caption.