Tissa-koptchik purse and Tchyny-kap wallet,
19th-20th century. Fine Arts Institute,

Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

 

 

The stamping technique was also applied by using carved wooden moulds. The moist leather was pushed against the carved wood and the ornament appeared in relief.

 

Various kinds of leather containers exist. The most original ones, considering their shape and decoration, were tumblers (kookor), of which the contours remind us of the curved horns of the ibex. Often they were decorated with voluted, circular or triangular ornaments with representations of stylised birds and animals honoured by tribes of breeders. By using several layers of leather, cylindrical cases were manufactured in which cups, fitted into each other, could be put away.

 

There were semi-spherical cases as well, with contours resembling an inverted cup. They were embellished with a stamped or engraved design, silver strips and plates decorated with niello. The design of the leather containers was disposed according to their shape. Patterns linked with ancient magical representations were used in the ornamentation. Numerous elements recall the designs of carpets, embroideries, and Kyrgyz jewellery.

 

The frequent travels due to nomadic life made these leather containers practical and they became, thanks to the talent of the craftsmen, marvellous samples of artistic works.

 

 

A general picture of popular crafts

 

Just as modern artists, painters, graphic artists, and sculptors refer to the past in their creative work, craftsmen are sustained by the thousand-year-old traditions of their people, in spite of the radical changes following the establishment of the Soviet regime, the development of creative cartels and commercial networks for selling. Popular decorative arts in the republics of Central Asia went on to develop in different ways. Numerous craftsmen worked at home again, obtaining raw materials and selling their articles individually at traditional markets on Sundays. Generally they were craftsmen specialised in embroidery, the manufacturing of felt and woollen carpets, who lived in rural communities. Traditional crafts became incorporated into the industry of art objects. Many popular masters worked within companies of the ministries of light industry: manufacturers of porcelain, carpet factories, embroidery workshops, and workshops producing souvenir articles.

 

At the time of the establishment of the Soviet regime, many regional nomadic tribes had ceased to move about. This brought about radical changes in their lifestyle and artistic awareness. Many utilitarian objects of the past became souvenirs. And, yet, the native population still widely used traditional products of the decorative arts in everyday life. In the same way, modern popular ceramics largely perpetuated the tradition of the schools established in the 19th century.

 

 

Decorative style and technical particularities allow us to distinguish three main centres: the school of the north-east with Ferghana, the school of the Centre with Bukhara and Samarkand, and the school of the south-west with Khwarezm, including certain regions of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

 

The ceramics of the north-western and eastern regions of Central Asia became the most diversified over time, in the form and content of their decorative designs. They included medium and large sized vases, large dishes, jugs, containers of different shapes for dairy products, bowls, pitchers, etc. The ornament of the crockery created by these craftsmen was more refined and smaller than that of the artists from Khwarezm and gave an impression of lyricism and intimacy.

 

Characteristic designs of the glazed ceramics of the Middle Ages are evident: the islimi design, the rosettes with numerous leaves; but the basis of the ornamental cycle consists of new designs, essentially plant-like. In the modern ceramics of Richtan, the tradition of making practical objects in the decorative manner was maintained: vases and knives, for instance. A detached painting displays these ornaments.

 

The colours of the Bukhara and Samarkand schools’ ceramics differ fundamentally from the blue, white, and azure ceramic of Ferghana and Khwarezm, and is recognisable by the warm brown-yellowish range of colours, enhanced with painted patterns (Gijduvon, Shahrisabz, Urgut) or engraved designs (Denau, Kitab, Karatag). The Uzbek and Tajik modern potters vividly perceive the complex connection between ornamental design, colouring, and form. In search of original solutions they look to the artistic heritage of far-off days. Moukhit Rachimov, an old master in perfect control of the ceramic technique, has crated original compositions based on a study of famous specimens of glazed ceramics from Afrasiab and Merv. The work of this master, created in the ceramic styles of antiquity and the Middle Ages, is marked by its rich ornamentation and beauty of shape.