Precious Filigree of the Orient of XVII - XIX Centuries. From the Collections of the State Hermitage
1 June 2009 - 28 September 2009
State Stone-Cutting and Jewelry Art History Museum in Ekaterinburg
124 exhibits

The theme of the exhibition is the art of filigree - items made of thin silver and gold wire in China, India and South-Eastern Asia intended for export to European countries as well as for the domestic market.

Alongside with the discovery of the sea way to India and the unknown countries of the Orient as well as the establishment of East-Indian companies, exotic Oriental items and materials came into fashion in Europe. The finest silver filigree of the Oriental artists evoked admiration among the Europeans. It was used for the production of different items that were ordered for cabinets of curiosities of the rulers, church treasuries, collections and houses of the rich people. The term 'filigree' became a substitute for a fine, exquisite work. The Hermitage collection of the Oriental filigree of XVII-XIX centuries is the richest collection in the world. The exhibition presents more than one hundred items that were stored in the collections of the Russian tsars already in XVII-XVIII centuries. The items comprise both filigree silver that belonged to Peter the Great, gold jewelry and the toiletry sets of Catherine the Great, as well as other works from the Treasury Gallery. This is the first time the collection has such a vast range of different exhibits. Several items were presented at the exhibition Chinese Export Art in Velikiy Novgorod in 2003.

The exhibition Precious Filigree of the Orient of XVII-XIX Centuries will be attended by the participants of SCO Meeting (The Shanghai Cooperation Organization) which will take place in Ekaterinburg June 15-16, 2009.

The project has been realized with the support of Sverdlovsk Oblast Administration.

The exhibition is accompanied by a scientific catalogue. The author of the exhibition and the catalogue is the senior staff member of the Oriental Department of the State Hermitage, Maria Menshikova.