A prime example of Xiongnu animal-style art crafted from both hard and soft materials is the felt rug featuring appliqué embroidery, discovered in a Xiongnu aristocratic tomb at Noyon Uul in Batsumber Soum, Tuv Province. This rug stands as a unique masterpiece of nomadic visual art.
The rug is crafted from finely processed felt, with its edges fully bound in fabric; bordering this is an appliqué design—stitched with colored thread—depicting pairs of animals engaged in combat amidst trees. The imagery features a frenzied bull and a mythical lion-like beast locked in battle, facing one another, alongside a mythical bird perched upon the back of a fleeing elk. This composition is framed by an alternating border of red, green, and beige shapes, including squares, cross-hatch or lattice patterns, and semi-circular motifs with handles. The central area of the rug is densely quilted with a "water-splash" pattern arranged in three rows across the width and eight rows along the length. The first pair of animals: A lion-like beast with a multi-branched mane (or antlers) and an upturned tail is depicted; the tips of its mane and tail terminate in the heads of mythical birds featuring large, hooked beaks, while its wings are rendered through appliqué work using felt of a contrasting color. This lion-like creature is shown biting the nape of a bushy-tailed yak, while the yak retaliates by goring the beast with its horns. The yak is depicted struggling fiercely against a predator, with its mouth agape, tongue lolling out, eyes bulging, and tail raised. Its shaggy coat and tail are rendered using a combination of light and dark-colored threads. The second pair of animals depicts a mythical bird—featuring a large, curved beak, pointed ears, and expansive wings—perched upon the rump of a galloping elk and biting into its back. The elk is shown straining to break free and escape, its back arched and hindquarters twisting in the struggle. Contrasting colored felt is appliquéd onto the animal's body, and the wings are detailed with intricate stitching. The bird's eyes, beak, and ears are clearly defined, while the wings and tail feathers are embellished with upward-curving lines stitched in two-tone thread. The entire felt rug is crafted with exquisite precision, capturing the forms, movements, and struggles of the animals with remarkable skill and lifelike realism. This felt rug, a tangible expression of the Xiongnu people's creative imagination, is a masterpiece of decorative art and has been certified by the Government of Mongolia as a "Unique Historical and Cultural Heritage."
