On 13 August 2024, the exhibition “Masterpieces of Buryat Buddhist Art from the Collection of the State Hermitage Museum” begins its run at the Museum of the History of Buryatia named after M.N. Khangalov in Ulan-Ude. It will present archaeological finds as well as some outstanding works of Buddhist sculpture and painting associated with the territory of ethnic Buryatia.
“The exhibition ‘Masterpieces of Buryat Buddhist Art’ is one more stage in the Hermitage’s new Buddhist programme,” Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, commented.
The opening of the exhibition will be a key event in the cultural programme of the 2nd International Buddhist Forum on “Traditional Buddhism and the Challenges of the Present Day”. Its work is directed towards increasing the relevance of Buddhist culture in present-day society, uniting the Buddhist world within Russia and strengthening international contacts.
The oldest exhibits on display – fragments of tiles, roof adornments and architectural décor – were uncovered during archaeological excavations of the mediaeval Kondui settlement site in the Borzinsky District of Russia’s Zabaikalsky Krai. The palace in Kondui is believed to have belonged to one of the brothers of Genghis Khan. Sadly, little has survived of the sumptuous residence – it was burnt down in the late 14th century, following the fall of the Yuan dynasty.
The roofs of the Kondui palace were one of the finest works of tile art in the 14th century. They were covered with glazed yellow, green and red tiles. In the Chinese tradition such a combination of colours was considered imperial. The palace site has also yielded many depictions of mythological creatures – phoenixes, qilins and dragons. The last were in the majority – figures of dragons of every possible type and size adorned the palace from its foundations to the roof gables.
An important section of the exhibition is made up of silver Buddhist articles. Those are represented by sculptures of the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Amitābha, the White Tara and several bodhisattvas, as well as altar adornments. Traditionally images of the Buddha could be found in all Buryat Buddhist temples and on domestic altars. They were, however, only rarely made of silver – as special offerings to high-ranking lamas, imperial rulers and members of their families.
The Hermitage’s stocks of silver Buddhist articles are made up of gifts received by the future Nicholas II when the then-Tsesarevich travelled through Transbaikalia in June 1891 and on the occasion of his coronation in 1896. Additionally, they include part of the personal collection of Esper Esperovich Ukhtomsky (1861–1921) – a court chamberlain, diplomat, Orientalist and the first Russian collector of Buddhist sculpture and painting.
Buryat painting is represented in the exhibition by thangkas dating from the late 18th to early 20th centuries. It developed under the influence of Tibetan art, particularly the “New Menri” style, as well as Mongolian and Chinese traditions. The first works of Buryat painting probably appeared in the mid-18th century, when Buddhism was already widely followed in Buryatia.
Of particular interest is a thangka featuring a depiction of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. In Buddhism he was venerated as an embodiment of the deity Vajrapani, protector of Mongolia and Buryatia, as a victorious warrior mounted on the green horse of Maitreya, the future Buddha. This is the only thangka in the Hermitage collection to depict Genghis Khan.
The exhibition “Masterpieces of Buryat Buddhist Art” demonstrates Russia’s close historical ties with Buddhist culture and draws attention to Buryatia’s rich heritage. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the history and traditions of Buddhism and also to explore its influence on the spiritual and cultural life of a people.
A scholarly illustrated catalogue in Russian is being prepared for the exhibition: Sovershenstvo traditsii: proizvedeniia buddiiskogo buriatskogo iskusstva iz kollektsii Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha (XIII – nachala XX vv.)
The exhibition curator and author of the catalogue is Yulia Igorevna Yelikhina, Doctor of Culturology, Candidate of Historical Sciences, keeper of the State Hermitage’s Mongolian, Tibetan and Khotanese collections and associate professor in the Department of Mongolian and Tibetan Studies at Saint Petersburg University.
The exhibition at the Museum of the History of Buryatia named after M.N. Khangalov in Ulan-Ude will run until 17 November 2024.
