On the roads to Samarkand. Wonders of silk and gold

A collection of unique works, exhibited for the first time outside Uzbekistan's museums, is on show at the IMA. Several hundred pieces, and as many splendors made at the turn of the 20th century, plunge us into the history and ancestral know-how of a country that is a melting pot of millennia-old civilizations. Sumptuous chapan cloaks and gold-embroidered accessories from the court of the Emir, painted wooden saddles, silver horse harnesses set with turquoise, precious suzani embroidered hangings, carpets, silk ikats, jewelry and costumes from nomadic culture, as well as some fifteen orientalist paintings : almost 300 never-before-seen pieces, representative of the treasures of Uzbekistan

Handicraft treasures that form part of the Uzbek identity

"On the Roads of Samarkand" magnifies the revival of the splendid crafts of the ^19th and early ^20th centuries, which are so much a part of the Uzbek identity. Textiles, like all the other powers of the Islamic world, played a key role; Bukhara embroidery, in particular, occupies a special place among Uzbekistan's many art forms. It was during the Bukhara Emirate (1785-1920) that gold embroidery reached its apogee and renown in terms of technique, quality and, above all, creativity. Numerous splendid and monumental creations - chapans, dresses, headdresses, saddle carpets blending colors and gold - reserved for the court and for diplomatic gifts, were made exclusively in the Emir's private workshop and bear witness to his opulent art of living. There are many other pieces to be discovered throughout the exhibition, offering a broader perspective of the society of the time, including the famous ikats and their floweryThese include the famous ikats, with their flowery array of colors, weavings based on ancestral techniques, and the specific stylistic features of the Khorezm, Ferghana Valley and Karakalpak regions, where accumulations of jewelry were an extension of women's wardrobes.

A land of inspiration for painters

At the turn of the century, Turkestan - the territory covering the future republic of Uzbekistan - was the destination of choice for many artists from Central Asia and Russia. New art schools were created in the 1920s, including an Uzbek school headed by Alexander Volkov (1886-1957). Painters discovered this territory and found unique inspiration in the richness of Central Asia's landscapes, shapes, colors and faces. This is how we find the carpets, suzanis, chapans and ikats presented in the exhibition, each artist approaching this quest for elsewhere and exoticism in his or her own style.

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