 |
|
Treasure Room |
|
|
|
|
|
The "armoured room", "safe-room" or "treasure-room" - all these names refer to the small depositary of the Russian Museum of Ethnography, protected with impressive safe locks, armour - plated shutters and doors, beyond which even museum personnel need permission to go.
But why is it called the Treasure Room? What is so remarkable about it? The necessityof the acquisition of the collection to have a separate depositary for most treasured possessions of the museum arose from the very outset. Among the first "occupants" of the "safe-room" did the gifts which the Imperial family receives from deputations of the peoples inhabit the Russian Empire were. Also these include Buddhists devotional objects; silver-plated Caucasian weapons", horse-trappings and weapons, set with precious stones and gold, from the gifts of the Emir of Bukhara, and presentation dished for bread and salt, made by ingenious Russian jewellers.
Later from 1902 to 1915, the Treasury Room received collections of various national origins handed over to the museum by Nicholas II, and subsequently, many precious artifacts came from well-known Russian collectors, research expeditions and privat individuals.
Since the 1930s, in keeping with the museum policy, the stocks of the Treasury Room have been constantly augmented by objects set with precious metals and pearls. As a result, The Treasury Room has accumulated superb collection of artifacts remarkable not only for their ethnic variety but also the importance which individual items held in the culture of different peoples. This applies first of all to ornaments, devotional objects, ceremonial harnesses, weaponry and details of clothing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Besammie - decorative spice container |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in this part ...
|
|
|
|
 Russian Pearl
|
The Treasure Room collection reflects all the wealth and diversity of the ornaments used by the peoples of Russian Empire. Buttons, earrings and head-dresses trimmed with pearls are the majority of the decorations of the Russian fund. Pearls, found in the Varzuga, Kem', Pinega and other rivers in Northern Russia, were favorite material for the decorations. All female and maiden head-dresses kept in Treasure Room are embroidered with river pearls and golden threads, some of them are decorated with semi-precious stones and fringes of pearls strung on a horsehair or a linen thread. Many varieties of head-dresses are characteristic either in the different provinces and districts of North European Russia. There are all types of Russian earrings XVI th. - early XXth. century in the collection. In XVth. - XVII th. centuries earrings in the form of a question mark were most widespread. Depending on the number of bars they were called "singlets", "doulets" and "triplets". Massive silver earrings of this type related to the Novgorod culture of the XVI th. -XVII th. centuries. The convex relief depictions on both side of such earrings usually feature a filigreed ornament, coloured enamels and insets of coloured glass or stone. The basket-shapes earrings are embellished with river pearls and strass appeared in the late XVIII th.- XIXth. centuries under the influence of the baroque style. They took the form of butterflies or bowls, with pendants in the shape of pearl, stylized flower baskets and bunches of grapes. Small river pearls were wide used for such earrings. In the folk ornaments coloured glass, glass-beads, strasses were substitute for precious stones, but at all time pearl was preference shown to.
|
Judaic ritual objects.
|
The museum possesses a unique collection of the Judaic ritual objects, the most valuable are represented at the exposition. The set for ceremonial Torah reading - main Judaic sacred object presents the particular interest. The Torah Crown, surmounting the scrolls of the sacred book, Torah shield - Tass (silver plate with an aperture into which an inscription was inserted to explain what portion of the Torah should be read on holy days) and a pointer for reading Torah - yad, made in the form of a hand richly nielloed by ornament. Also there are ritual goblets, boxes for phylactery, mezuzahs, godes - caskets for incense used at the end of the Shabbat. Such caskets dating from the Meddle Ages were first made in imitation of Gothic towers, but starting from XVIIIth. century they assumed the shape of flowers, animals and birds. The Treasure Room has also a collection of the Hanukkah lamps with eight branches. Lamps have many variants of decoration forms - from the simple such as spoon-shape to complicated construction with the filigree work. Such objects were used for the feast of the Hanukkah lights which lasts eight days. Among these objects there are many items which have stamps (more often polish) and relate to XVIIIth. - early XXth. century.
|
Buddhist rarities.
|
Many artifacts of Buddhist collection are housed in the Russian Museum of Ethnography. There are many ritual items of plastic art - holy-water vessels, prayer wheels, conch shells used as a musical instrument and other decorative accessories of the Buddhist altar. Most of these monuments were gifts which Emperor Nicholas II received from Kalmyks and Buryats deputations. Among them there are such masterpieces as image of the deities-savior - White Tara and Green Tara, the goddess of the longevity - mother of all Buddhas, conventional model of the Universe - Mandala. At the exposition silver Mandala in shape of the plate which was used to gather donations during the divine service is kept. Don Kalmyk presented it to Alexander III for his coronation.
|
Jewellery of the Kazan Tatars
|
Kazan Tatars`s ornaments are notable for great variety. They are earrings, beads, necklaces, claps, fasteners, shoulder-belt, bracelets, and seal-ring. The center of the Jewellery production was Kazan . The great flowering this art reached by the middle of the XIXth. century. Adornments were particular made of silver, rarely gold was used. Such techniques as gilding, chasing, mounding, engraving, filigree were widespread. The most original ornament of the Kazan's women was a shoulder-belt. It was worn across the left shoulder and under the right arm by both girls and elderly women. Very often a box with the inscription from Koran was sewed to it. Distinctive and refined collar claps were indispensable adornment of the rich Muslim women. In these adornments not only topaz, amethyst, turquoise, malachite, cornelian, agate were used but also a lot of coloured glass.
|
Gifts by the Emirs of Bukhara
|
Diplomatic relations between Russia and States of the Central Asia were getting on during several centuries. They supposed the obligatory exchanging with ambassadorial gifts and presents. The gift set was constant: robes, belts/sashes, luxurious fabrics, horse-gear and weapons.
These were the best samples of Central Asian applied arts. One of the most prestigious gift was a robe - the sign of respect for the person to whom it was presented. At the exhibition a velvet robe decorated with pearl is displayed. Such a robe was worn without any belt, but under robe was girded with the belt with the golden plates and turquoise and gems mounts. Also here the filigree casket strew with small turquoise mounts and almandine cabochons is presented. Of the ceremonial horse-gear one can see a shabrack decorated with golden embroidery and silver pendants. Gold embroidery was made only by men in the workshops of the Emirs of Bukhara and was considered as the respectable profession.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Headings of section:
