Hermitage to Showcase Bukhara Emirate Art Treasures

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The State Hermitage Museum will open an exhibition titled “Opening the Palace Chambers: Art at the Court of the Emir of Bukhara” at the General Staff Building, dedicated to the artistic heritage of the Emirate of Bukhara from the 19th to early 20th century, the museum’s press service said.

The exhibition will bring together around 70 works of applied art from the collections of museums in Uzbekistan and the Hermitage.

Visitors will see interior objects, gold-embroidered robes, headwear, boots, edged weapons, and jewellery. A number of exhibits considered national treasures of Uzbekistan will be shown outside the country for the first time.

The Hermitage said the exhibition aims to present Bukhara applied art not only as an outstanding artistic phenomenon, but also as an important tool of diplomacy and intercultural interaction.

The chosen historical period is associated with the active development of political, trade and cultural contacts between the Emirate of Bukhara and the Russian Empire.

A special place in the exhibition will be given to the most valuable gifts from the emirs of Bukhara to the Russian Imperial Court, held in the Hermitage collection. These items will be displayed in the Red Transforming Hall and will remain available to visitors for one month.

Among the exhibits are gilt silver works with enamel decoration made in Bukhara court workshops, including luxurious jewellery caskets, tall lamps and vases. According to the museum, some of these items may have been used as diplomatic gifts sent to Russia.

A separate display will feature gifts presented to the emirs of Bukhara by the Russian side. These include silver objects made by well-known Russian jewellery houses, including a jug and cup with dedicatory inscriptions from the Turkestan Governor-General.

One of the central exhibits will be a silver Quran case made by the workshop of Pavel Ovchinnikov, a supplier to the Imperial Court. The piece is considered a notable example of Russian enamel art of the second half of the 19th century.

A significant part of the exhibition is dedicated to Bukhara’s famous gold embroidery tradition. Visitors will see richly decorated robes and other court garments once worn by members of the elite and the emir’s inner circle.

The Hermitage said the exhibition will highlight the role of art in shaping international relations of the Emirate of Bukhara and showcase the richness of Central Asian cultural heritage.