Exhibition Review: Ornamental Traditions: Jewelry from Bukhara
The Uzbek city of Bukhara, the last capital of the Emirate of Bukhara (1785–1920), was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993. Situated along the famous transcontinental Silk Road, the city is known for its architecture, particularly the blue glazed tiles and complementary blue enamelwork that grace its buildings. This same blue ornamentation is worked into the jewelry from this period of Bukhara’s history. The large pieces that characterize the jewelry of the emirate, stunning in their elaborate ornamentation, are rarely seen outside the former Soviet republics. Through promised gifts from the private collection of Barbara Levy Kipper and her late husband, David, the Art Institute of Chicago is able to display almost 50 such pieces in Ornamental Traditions: Jewelry from Bukhara. Enameling is used in a number of objects—such as the paisley earrings in figure 1—to represent Bukhara’s famous blue detailing with great success, while other pieces use turquoise and glass stones (figure 2) to create a similar effect.
In Bukharan culture, large jewelry pieces were normally designed as sets and intended to serve multiple purposes. For instance, the pieces of one suite might be intended to ward off evil spirits while simultaneously indicating political status and religious affiliation. There is no shortage of objects devoted to religious observation; one, a Quran carrying case dating from the late nineteenth century (figure 3), includes a strap for portability. The entire piece is made of gilt silver, cloisonné enamel, and leather. A set of pendants feature turquoise, coral, and glass stones inlaid in silver. Silver (both pure and gilded) is the primary metal in the pieces on display. This is understandable given the weight of large belts and elaborately decorated headdresses, such as one ceremonial piece featuring ruby, coral, and glass. Gold is occasionally seen in objects from the late nineteenth century, such as a pair of earrings designed in the Gujarati akota style. Decorative objects such as a twentieth-century pen case (figure 4) and an enameled box dating to 1883 (figure 5) are no less fantastic in their attention to detail and functionality.
Juxtaposed alongside Central Asian textiles—some created using the elaborate ikat resist dyeing technique—from the Art Institute’s permanent collection, Ornamental Treasures is a small but powerful view into a bygone world rarely seen by Westerners.
Ornamental Traditions: Jewelry from Bukhara is on view in Gallery 50 of the Islamic Art section of the Art Institute of Chicago until June 30, 2019. Admission is $20.00 for Chicago residents, $22.00 for Illinois residents, and $25.00 for visitors from out of state. Senior and student pricing begins at $14.00. Children 17 and under qualify for free admission. The Art Institute of Chicago is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursdays until 8:00 p.m.
