The Portrait of heshuo Guo-qinwang Yunli as the Source for Weapons and Horse Equipment of Oirats and their Neighbors in the first half of the 18th Century

Introduction. The article deals with the portrait of Manchu aristocrat heshuo Guo-qinwang Yunli (1697–1738) — the younger brother of Qing Yongzheng emperor and the uncle of Qianlong emperor. Purpose of the research is to find and study the pieces of weapons and equipment of the Central Asian style in the aforementioned portrait. Results. It is determined that the portrait of Yunli was painted by the famous European artist and missioner G. Castiglione in the summer of 1735, not long after the return of Yunli from the travel to Dalai Lama which took place in the winter-spring of the same year. The comprehensive analysis of the sources showed that the heshuo Guo-qinwang combines Qing clothing with parts of equipment of the Central Asian type. These items include a quiver of the so-called “Oirat type”, a saddle of the “Oirat type” (elete shi ma’an ), and possibly some other elements of horse equipment. It is possible that these items were donated to Yunli by representatives of the Oirat (Khoshut) or Tibetan nobility during his visit to the Dalai Lama in 1735. As the portrait has the exact date, it can be used for the attribution and dating of quivers and saddles of the Oirats and Tibetans, similar in design, which are kept in Russian and foreign museum and private collections. Conclusions. Materials of Qing iconography are currently not being actively used to study the Oirat cultural heritage. A comprehensive study of Qing pictorial sources can play an important role in the study of weapons, equipment, costume, military symbols and military affairs of the Oirats and their neighbors of the late 17th–18th centuries. 

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