Art weapons from the Hermitage collection
10 February 2011 - 6 November 2011
1200 exhibits

On 10 February an exhibition of art weapon from the Sate Hermitage Museum opened in the Hermitage-Kazan Center. The visitors have a chance to see unique artifacts of gun smithing, applied and decorative arts and art works from six departments of the State Hermitage Museum. Many of the 1200 exhibits are shown to the public for the first time.

The biggest part of the exhibits shown at the exhibition are stored at the Arsenal of the State Hermitage Museum founded by Grand Prince Nikolay Pavlovich, future Nikolay I, passionate lover and collector of ancient weapons. The collection was enriched with war trophies, weapons bought at auctions in Western Europe and sales of private historic and artistic collections as well as gifts from state leaders, diplomats, weapons craftsmen and collectors.

The exhibition of art weapon from the Hermitage collection comprises four sections. The first section tells about the earliest weapons (from the Paleolithic Age to Middle Ages). The second section is devoted to the weapons of Asian countries from XVI century. The third section demonstrates weapons of the Russian gunsmith school of XVII-XIX centuries. The fourth section collected weapons of countries of Western Europe of the XV-XIX centuries.

The exhibition shows the development of weapons and gun smithing from the stone arrow of the Paleolithic Age to the XIX century Smith&Wessen revolver. The exhibition displays the earliest Japanese katana ("samurai’s soul") in the Hermitage collection made in 1308 by Kagemitsu from Bizen province. Assault and hunting, ceremonial and sports, experimental and regular, duel and tournament weapons. Weapons shown at the exhibition were produced at largest gun making centers of Europe (Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Holland, England, Denmark), Asia (Persia, India, China, Thailand) and Russia (Moscow, Tula, Zlatoust, Saint Petersburg).

The exhibition displays different designs of all kind of weapons: defense, cold steel and firearms. Among the exhibits notable are Persian and Indian swords. Made from the best damask steel, they are extremely strong and flexible. Particular attention should be given to a figure of a Turkish rider, where both the warrior and his horse are wearing the steel armor.

Besides its technical characteristics the exhibited weapons is interesting in terms of the skill and artistic elegance it took to produce them, particularly it concerns the luxury and ceremonial hunting weapons formerly owned by the Assyrian and Urartu kings, Roman and Byzantine emperors, kings of the Western European states and Russian monarchs. Some of the ceremonial weapons are interesting from the memorial perspective. For example, the Glory (Rus. - Slava) sabre was made by a famous craftsman from Zlatoust I. Bushuev for Alexander I and given to him during his visit to Zlatoust in 1824. There are multifigure battle scenes of the Patriotic War of 1812 engraved on its blade; the gilded hilt is decorated with a finial of goddess Glory with a trumpet and a wreath in her hands; the scabbard is decorated with a floral ornament made with gold-plating technique.

The exhibition of the cold steel weapons from the Hermitage gives an opportunity to appreciate the contribution made by gun smiths to the development of applied arts and crafts and demonstrates the best samples of technical excellence and rich decoration.

An illustrated catalogue was prepared for the exhibition; the author of the catalogue is the exhibition’s manager Yuri Georgievich Yefimov, the head of the weapon section of the Arsenal Department of the State Hermitage Museum.