Gilt-bronze Boot, One of a Pair

Bronze and silver-gilt boots, modeled after textile and leather boots, were found in Liao tombs. A pair of silver-gilt boots (dated 1018 or earlier) with phoenix motifs and cloud scrolls, were excavated from the tomb of Princess Chen and Xiao Shaoju in Inner Mongolia at Qinglongshan town in Naiman Banner; the couple’s faces were covered with gold masks. This gilt-bronze boot shows rising dragons chasing pearls and may have been made for a male tomb occupant.