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"Half a kingdom for a horse..." The
horse in world culture. Works from the collection of the State Hermitage An exhibition entitled "Half a kingdom for a horse..."The horse in world culture has opened in the Hermitage-Kazan Center within the State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Preserve of the Kazan Kremlin. The exhibition includes more than 600 works of painting, graphic art, sculpture, decorative and applied art, numismatics and books. This exhibition devoted to the subject of horses for the first time ever uses museum items to demonstrate not just the history of how horses have served people but a view of the history of civilization through the prism of the horse theme. The very rich collections of the Hermitage reflect practically our entire material and spiritual culture from ancient times to the present and made it possible to create a show embracing unusually extensive and varied material relating to different ages (from the first millennium B.C. - the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age - to the beginning of the 20th century, to develop the subject while placing the phenomenon in the context of its historical development. The exhibition juxtaposes decorations for horse harnesses made in the Scythian age, bridle sets of the Sarmatians and medieval nomads of the steppes along the Don and Dnepr rivers; Antique vessels and depictions of horses in miniature and sculpture created at various times in the Orient - in Central Asia, Iran, China and Japan. The horse theme in art of Western Europe and Russia is revealed in splendid painted and graphic arts horse portraits of ruling monarchs, in hunting scenes, tournaments, battles, as well as in depictions on the most varied objects of applied art - from tapestries and decorative sculptural groups to ladies' jewelry boxes and children's toys. One special group of monuments consists of the military equipment of equestrians, as well as numismatic material (medals, orders, badges) and books connected with the theme of the exhibition. Riding horses with all their gear are a sort of image of an age and a country. The harness demonstrates the level of technical development and taste of the society; the type of horse reflects the requirements for its use, revealing the nature of activities and way of life of people, while the treatment shown to horses and their place in the hierarchy of values characterizes to a certain degree the spiritual culture. The image of the horse is interwoven in myths and fairy tales; it occupies an important place in the epics of a variety of peoples, in religious faiths and in sacred rituals. A cult of the horse lies at the foundation of various protective charms with its depiction - from those on roofs to items of jewelry. Belt buckles and necklaces decorated with the heads or figures of horses had a protective function. In the mythological and ritual context, the horse emerges as an intermediary, a connective link between various worlds. Staff of the State Hermitage have prepared an illustrated catalogue for the exhibition "Half a kingdom for a horse..."The horse in world culture (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2007), consisting of three parts: "Horses and riders of the great ancient cultures of Eurasia," "East and West from the Middle Ages to Modern History: warriors, rulers and epic heroes," and "Russia between East and West. War and peace during the 18th - early 20th centuries." There is a glossary of terms and a bibliography. The publication carries an Introductory Word from President of the Republic of Tatarstan M.Sh. Sahmiev and an Introductory Article by Director of the State Hermitage Mikhail Piotrovsky. |
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Copyright © 2011 State Hermitage Museum |
