|
|
|
CRAFTS IN UZBEKISTAN
All types of crafts known to mankind were existing and developing on the territory of Uzbekistan since ancient times. Even in  the deep ancientry the people living on Central Asian land could burn clay, draw on the bones, create hardware, weave carpets and fabrics, embroider decorating their homes and clothes.
Ancient traditions of carpet weaving, embroidery, dying of fabrics, jewelry art and chase, plaiting from willow rods, carving and painting on the wood were developing and improving for centuries. In the result the unique art schools had appeared, where each of the craft centers was developing its originality. Rishtan ceramics, Urgut embroidery, Bukhara golden sewing, Margilan satin, Karakalpak and Khorezm jewelry, Chust scull-caps, Pap encrusted knives, Tashkent fettling are widely known.
All multiple types of artistic crafts having ancient traditions, presently are being developed by modern national masters. The methods and techniques for thread and fabrics dying with natural stainers are being revived, creating then artistic fabrics and embroideries.
Uzbek experts are dealing thoroughly with the elaboration of new technologies and new samples on the basis of local materials, with the use of ancient oriental symbols, semantics of color and image.
The national traditions are being preserved carefully and developed creatively by many generation of talented experts of  Uzbekistan. The interest to the crafts is defined by the fact, that also as in epos, music, dancing and poetry, the most intimate features of mentality of the Orient, aesthetic tastes of Uzbek nation are reflected in them.
Ceramics
The most ancient kind of Uzbek art is the ceramics.
Ceramic jars, referred to deep ancientry, are covered with big rhombi, triangles, escribed into square crosses. These symbols had the meaning for protecting of jar from adversity. On the fragments of ancient ceramics there are images of goats, eagles, and those images show that the are called to serve the Good, contesting the Evil.
In the period of antiquity the beauty of the form of jar had been especially valuable in Central Asian ceramics. In Kushan ceramics the decoration of handles of jars with figurines of animals; goat, sheep, hedgehog, monkey, had got distribution, and those had been made by manual embossment. Images of animals are protectors, which guard the content of a jar from evil forces.
Immense importance for the development of ceramics in the region had the invention of special paints decorating earthenware. Besides aesthetic value of glassy stainers, their use allowed to extend possibilities for application of various patterns. First, the alcalic glaze had been discovered. The ornaments were the simplest once of geometric character; large grids or strips. Then ceramic artists had mastered bright-green, yellow and brown-black paints. Since IX-X centuries so called "spotty" "marble looking" ceramics had got the distribution. Great importance had possessed epigraphy; inscriptions with ornament, velleities.
Ornament with plants had appeared on the basis of observations of human being for surrounding nature. In the patterns, which masters depict till present time, there is the reflection of beautiful world of flora. Thus, the depiction of a leaf means awakening of nature in spring. Motive of a fruit of almond ("bodom") is the symbol of happiness, fertility, wealth. The depiction of hot pepper "kalampur" is the amulet against diseases. In its basis there are antiseptic characteristics, rather actual in the countries with hot climate.
Pomegranate with its multiple cherry-red granules is the symbol of bellyful, abundance, beneficence.
 In IXX century big artistic schools of ceramics had been formed in Uzbekistan, where Rishtan, Gurumsaray, Gijduvan, Khiva, Shakhrisyabz, Samarkand, Tashkend possessed broad publicity.
Rishtan blue ceramics is well-known. Depiction of knives on the dishes of Rishtan ceramics people link to Chust, the center of famous knives. But, it is rather likely, that the knife is protector from evil.
Artworks of Gurumsaray ceramics are easily recognized according the depiction of jars. This is symbol of water, the basis of life in the Orient.
Today Uzbek ceramics is experiencing new stage, when new artistic centers appear in towns and villages. The Uzbek ceramic artists encarnate in their earthenware the forgotten patterns, putting in them ancient good-minded symbolism.
Toys and small plastique
The earthenware of small plastique made from clay had been found while archeological digging of the ancient monuments. They depict animals; goats, sheep, horses, dogs, birds. Being allegorized as fantastic images, they combine the features of several creatures; body of an animal, wings of a bird, fish-scale. Those creatures were endued with characteristics of talisman, protector.
In spite of counteractions of official Islamism, these images had been preserved in the artistic memory of the people. Toy-pennywhistles, so called "khushtak", in the 60-ths of XX century had been created by folk masters. Toys of Bukhara mistress Rakhimova from Uba Khamro-buvi vikllage are known far beyond Uzbekistan. These toys had sacral function for protection of future yield. They were given to children, as innocent creatures, in the days of celebrating Navruz. They were running with "khushtaks" along spring fields and orchards, and by whistling threatening evil spirits in order to avoid draught, locust and other adversities destroying yield.
Ceramic toys were also created in other villages of Uzbekistan.
 With the time the initial functions of toy whistles had been lost, they became souvenirs. The dynasty of Samarkand ceramic artist Ablakul Mukhtarov in XX century created small plastique, in which they used traditions of ancient art. Ethnographic, full of humor scenes attract tourists visiting Samarkand very much. The most popular image of Mukhtarovs was small dragon "ajdakho". It possessed the attribute of protector.
Talented masters presently are rather successfully dealing with the creation of small ceramic plastique. Creation of various ceramic figurines with the use of ethnographic motives became leading trend of artistic ceramics of Uzbekistan. Images of old men "aksakals", riders on donkeys,animals, grooms and brides, bakers baking bread possess deserved demand from tourists, as the originality of Uzbek land is reflected in them.
China small plastique.
Since the middle of the 80-ths in Uzbekistan the new kind of art appeared in Uzbekistan, staying ajoint of applied and fine arts; artistic Chinaware.
Shakhnoza Muminova is the only artist in Uzbekistan creating small plastique from that material. The theme of her creations is rather various. She creates portraits, poetic images of dancing-girls and poetesses of the Orient, decorative composition consisting of baskets with flowers, functional patterns; powder-boxes and looking-glasses, female bijouterie; pendants, earrings.
Fragility of the material, thinness of jewelry execution of details in the form of thin fingers of images, accuracy of surface processing of Chinaware impart to the creations of Shakhnoza Muminova unusual expression.
Embroidery
Since long the embroidery decorate clothes and homes of Uzbeks, Tadjiks, Karakalpaks living on the territory of Uzbekistan.  For the long period of its existence in IXX century local artistic centers Bukhara, Nurat, Shakhrisyabz, Samarkand, Dzizak, Tashkent, Pskent, Fergana had been formed.
Before 80-ths of IXX century the embroidery had been made by silk and wool dyed with natural stainers on home weaved cotton fabric. In the past the patterns of embroidery carried certain cultic load, especially in the wedding clothes, where magic ornament was applied for driving away evil spirits from young couple.
The functional intent of embroidered goods was various; wall embroideries (susane, palyak, gulkurpa), curtains dissembling niches (joypush, kirpechf), friezes embordering upper part of the wall (zardevor), prayer rugs (joynamaz), wedding sheets (ruidjo) and etc.
Pskent suzane, so called oy-palyak, differ by nebular ornament and depict curcumterrestrial planets and stars.
The main pattern of Uzbek embroidery is plant kingdom and zoomorphic ornament. Plant kingdom ornament represents blossoming bushes with flowers, head of flowers on thin stalks and leafy bines. One can see in the density of plant kingdom pattern the images of animals and birds in bright feathering.
Traditional clothes of Uzbek females was plentifully decorated with embroidery.
Especially should be marked the embroidered scull caps "tubeteikas", here one can differentiate Fergana, Surkhandarya scull caps. Chust male scull caps are considered to be the best ones till present time.
Golden sewing.
The imagination about embroidery in Uzbekistan will not be complete if not to represent its rare kind golden sewing. The highest florescence this art had got in Bukhara in the middle of IXX century, where it was created by skilled masters for the ruler and his retinue. Golden sewers in IXX century were mainly men. Male gowns, turbans, scull caps, shalvars, shoes.
Today mainly women are dealing with golden sewing.
The people had mastered this kind of craft not only in Bukhara, but also in other towns.
Golden sewing is widely used in modern clothes, this embroidery decorates dresses, jackets, scull caps, bags, sheaths for glasses and mobile phones.
Decorative Pumpkins
Surprising dish pumpkins are growing in Uzbekistan, so called "idish kovok". Earlier they used to make soup ladle from them, sour milk products are well preserved in them, for instance "katyk", which is cool even in the very hot day. If to store cereals in such pumpkins, then there will be no insects in them. Traditionally in small pumpkins local population was storing local tobacco "nasvoi".
With the appearance of manufactured utensil in the XX century growing and use of pumpkins had been stopped.
Though in the 90-ths Uzbek artists again started dealing with pumpkins, after had given them the functions of decorative character.
Fancy forms of pumpkins started being decorated with carving, burning, painting.
One of such masters is Tashkent artist Sirojitdin Ziyamov. He himself invented special colorants and polishes with which he paints round surface of pumpkins. Subjects of paintings are borrowed from oriental miniatures and literature. Ethnographic motives also give to painted pumpkins surprising exoticism.
Presently very many masters are dealing with decoration of pumpkins, which have great demand among tourists.
Jewellery Decorations
Shell of kauri or feather of bird, tooth of killed beast or stone with hole; these were the decorations of human being who was wearing them with the aim to protect himself from adversity, from diseases. Bunches of camel and sheep wool, head and feather of owl were considered as defensive and protective forces. Sedentary nations of Central Asia worshiped pheasant, peacock and cock.
Magic exorcised character of decorations, which first of all protected, and therefore were integral element of human being suit, had led to the fact, that they were extremely distributed in the region.
Decorations can be represented in three groups:
- Jewelry executing protective function
- Decorations of good wish
- Jewelry executing the function of success
The first kind of decorations is put on immediately after birth. These are bracelets of black and white beads "kuzmunchok", where the word "kuz" eye, drive away "bad eye" from the baby. By this they drive away "bad eye" to other subject more bright and attractive. Thus, they hang on closes small amulets in the form of triangles. That triangular form is indued with sacral attribute, the initial sense of which is in the imagination about sun ray, female prolificacy, and also to the notion about vertical structure of the world.
Distributed motive of rhombus, with which multiple pendants to decorations are hanged, is endued with the symbol of fertility and life good. Many images entering the d?cor of jewelry are related to the notions about the world, universe, about good and evil, images of birds and animals. The head of Karakalpak bride was decorated with traditional cap called "saukele". On the temples among big corals there were pair images of sheep heads, and that was symbolizing prolificacy, welfare and served as protector from adverse forces. Ear and nose holes were considered as rather attractive for evil spirits, and therefore they should have been protected. Thus the ears of the bride were decorated with ear-rings, especially were valuable once producing clang deterring evil spirits. There was also ring in the nose.
Jewelry "mokhi tela", put on the body had been decorated with bird heads, and "tilo koz" decorating forehead reminded bird wing (though, in the translation it means "golden eyebrows"). Decoration "gazhak" on the temple was depicting bird. It was considered, that decoration in the form of bird would bring to woman welfare and happiness in family life.
Very frequent one can meet images of birds in the works of Kokand jewelers.
The images of fishes were referred to the number of light symbols connected with pure environments, and in particular with water. Image of fish, its fish-scale, tail had been distributed in the ornaments of Central Asian jewelry. Pendants in the form of fish to necklaces, forehead and temple decorations were carved from silver and golden foil. Ornament "fish tail" covered bracelets. In the Orient fish is considered as symbol of purity, besides the image of fish is accepted as symbol of multiple posterior, and also alertness and vigilance.
The fish on the back of which sunflower or sun are depicted can be met in the unique private collection. From two sides of the fish two lions are depicted, and it was destined for decoration of breast as big medallion with the length of 21 cm.
It, apparently, was tumor, the amulet protecting one or another part of a body. They are rather various and are called "buyin - tumor" or "neck amulet", "kukraktumor" or breast amulet, "kultiktumor" or underarm amulet. Prayers, hair of children, herbs were stored in them. These amulets should protect woman breast from losses of milk, and in order she should not get sick. And underarm tumor protects the part of a body from which, according ancient legends, the human being soul flies away after death.
The initial appliance for shooting from bow is linked to rings and bracelets, in order that bowstring while extension should not strip away skin, it was protected by leather and then bronze rings. Then these rings from silver became so obligatory for woman, that without them she had no right to cook. Her hands were considered as "khorom" or "dirty".
Seal rings of the men became the symbol of power, by them they put seals "tamtu". Seal rings with inserts from turquoise, garnet, cornelian, nephrite, beryl, jasper, blue spar had special sense due to the value of stones. Turquoise according legends brought success in military affairs, therefore they used to decorate with it all military ammunition. Coral protects from damage, pearl cures wall-eye, amber treats Derbyshire neck, cornelian protects from "bad eye".
Decorations, as legends and fairy-tails brings to us the notion about our anticipants, about their perception and feeling of the world. The special world of images is included in them, the semantics of which is in the understanding of good, wish of the best. While decorating they protect from evil, dirty and bad.
Art Fabrics
Wool, cotton and wool are raw materials for weaving; main craft in central Asian region. It exists since long. The towns: Margilan, Kokand, Samarkand, Shakhrisyabz, Bukhara, Urgut, Zandane, Vardane, Kitab for ages were famous by their weavers.
There are many fabrics, the production of which became authentic art, so beautiful their patterns, so harmonic the combinations of their colors, so symbolic their patterns.
That is "alacha", dappled, beamy, with longitudinal patterns in strip and with dark-blue threads of fond. Wide striped half-silk fabric without abrov pattern is called "bekasab". Male gowns are sewn from it. But the most outstanding phenomena in the art culture of Uzbekistan is the unique fabric "khan atlas". Such fabric exists and produces only in Uzbekistan and Tadjikistan. It is called "abrov", and in Europe they call it "ikat". The technique of thread binding reservation imparts that fabric surprising patterns.
They like lush paints in the Orient, therefore fabrics here are dyed into intensive-bright colors. In Fergana valley they prefer seven combining colors: golden-yellow, red, green, black, pink, violet, white.
The very various patterns decorates fabrics "khan atlas". During the years of independence the manual production of fabrics started developing, they started reproducing of ancient patterns filled with ancient semantics.
Small drawing of background pattern has important role with general formation of abrov ornament. They depict amulets, called "tumorcha", snake trace "ilon izi", horn "shokh", crest "tarok", drum "nogora". As we have already mentioned, they depict jar "kumag" as symbol of water. Illuminator "chirog" is the symbol of cleaning fire, and apparently, the semantics of that image goes by its roots to Zoroastrism. Plant ornaments is reflected by stylized images of plants or their fruits: they depict tree, flowers in vase, almonds, pea, pomegranate. Figures of people and animals in the images on fabrics are rather strongly stylized and sometimes practically not seen. Anthropomorphic motives represent the figures, which by hands and legs are bound into festoons.
"Kuchkor shokh" horns of ram, tiger tail, camel trace, image of scorpion or violet crow "sapsar karga"; in that way the master calls his patterns. Butterfly "kapalak" depicted in the center of rhombus grid is read very distinctly. All those patterns were bearing in themselves distinct magic sacral sense, protecting their owners from bad eye and evil spirits. They were symbolizing fertility and were expressing good wishes for happy life and the very best.
The special kind of textile were velvet fabrics, and among them inimitable illuminating velvet fabric "bakhmal". In the art sense, it is the most attractive and valuable textile produce. Peacocks, hills, cypresses, rosettes were also depicted on it. The ornament of abrov velvet is similar by its style with the pattern of weaved piled rugs, as the process of manufacture of the both is rather alike.
In the spring of 1998 the masters of Fergana valley had renewed the process for abrov velvet manufacture, which had been lost in the middle of the century.
In the end of century again on manual equipment they started weaving "khan atlas" and abrov "bakhmal", again they started reproducing patterns of surprising fabric, about birth of which there is beautiful legend.
Once upon a time the ruler ordered his weaver to weave the fabric, which nobody had seen. The weaver had been thinking for a long time, while in his thoughts he sat at night at the bank of Haus-Iruda. Hev looked at the water and saw clouds there. After coming home the weaver while memorizing what he had seen, had woven unusual fabric "light as cloud", "cool as ice". The ruler liked new fabric very much, and he ordered, that only wealthy people should wear clothes from it and he called it "khan atlas", according its cost it was very expensive, as to weave it was rather difficult. And the name "abrov" from Persian "abr" means cloud, and reminds us about poetic legend of "khan atlas" appearance.
Carpets
The carpets of Central Asia have deserved recognition in the world. While having raw material for carpets manufacture; wool of camels and sheep, people of Central Asia since ancient times had woven carpets and felts, shipping sacks. Yurt is roving house, which was decorated with carpets. It is preserving warm in winter and saving from hot in summer. The curtain at the entrance was made from carpet tissue, the floor was covered with carpet, the sacks for clothes and dishes were made from carpet tissue, "Khurjun" pair sack for transportation of cargoes on baggage animals also were made from carpet tissue.
Carpets of each tribe, each region differ by their famous coloration, technique of processing, characteristic of composition and ornament.
It is thought, that the pattern of Central Asian carpets was mainly influenced by the carpet belonging to Sasanid tsar Khosrov, who lived in V - VI centuries B.C. Patterns of that hugest carpet depicted tsar diverting garden. Flowerbeds of spring flowers, blooming trees, paths and canals were depicted on it. Leaves of trees and flowers were woven with silk, water was depicted by crystal, gemstones decorated the places with buds and petals. Art image of the garden beautifully implemented in this creation, masterpiece of carpet art, influenced on the ornaments of carpet patterns. Besides, it should be noticed, that in the art picture of oriental human being world the image of garden is linked with "paradise garden" Canaan, where righteous soul of human being is going after death. Climatic conditions of surviving in hot climate turned garden in the very best, in the ideal where golden trees were grown. Jami in the poem "Yusuf and Zuleikha" describes such tree, where "birds are sitting on branches, singing, beaks are rubies, wings are emeralds". Its depiction is called to bring quietude and consolation.
If to watch attentively ornaments of carpets, then they incarnate central flowerbed, central paths, and stripe enframing the whole garden on the perimeter. Plant motives are read rather distinctly ofn carpet patterns.
Zoomorphic motives are rather distributed in the carpets, especially in Turkmen ones. The names themselves have initial basis "white goose", "bird", "goat" and etc. Besides Turkmen carpet masters use the pattern called "tovuk", that means "hen" or "peacock". Both those patterns remind more letters "" and "".
Thus, in the result of stylization and convenience weaves threw away small details, head and tail they made symmetrically, and in the result from zoomorphic pattern left only its name. One of the patterns of Turkmen carpet has the name "kalkan nuskha", that means "shield". Possibly, true purpose of the ornament left in that name, it depicted combat shield with heraldic emblem. There are schematic images of people in the form of rhombic, geometric figures.
Bukhara carpets are very famous. They are usually red, brown - red color. Pattern of inner field is formed from nearly located repeating octangles, and the stars are located along edging.
Carpets from Samarkand are usually yellow and blue colors. Three medallions are usually located on the field. Sometimes the field is covered by rhythmically located geometric patterns. Samarkand weavers usually locate "meandr" Greek geometric pattern at the edging.
The production of palases, stripped carpets which have no fluff and are woven from cotton and Deccan hemp, is rather developed in Uzbekistan.
Art Metal
Discovery of metal had made great changes in the life of ancient human being. There always was special attitude towards metal in Central Asian region, it was symbol of human being protection from many phenomena of nature.
Thus, the ethnographer .Sukhareva reports about the fact, that some inhabitants of Ura-Tube and Kanuibadam link image of deva, mythological creature with tourbillion and dusty spout. According that legend the deva is located in spout itself and is moving together with it. If human being saw that the spout was moving to his side, then he was trying run away, hide, and if there was no possibility to runaway, the human being should throw something sharp knife or hoe. That is interesting, that they use in Khoresm and other provinces as protectors metal sharp objects: knives, sickles, scissors. They permanently put knife under the pillow of lying-in woman and in baby's cradle. Depiction of knives were embroidered on susane, entering bride's dowry. They were considered as protectors. Metal was used as the object for guarding from adversary extranatural forces. In Khorezm iron object served as guard from evil spirits. A man, who was going to sleep in the field usually put under head the working part of hoe.
Many various objects of household and decorations were made from metal in Central Asia Some words we should say about such unique vessel as jar. Image of jar in European culture is enveloped by special romantic, as old man Khottabych appeared from the jar, devas were appearing from jars, mystery was stored in jars.
But we are going to tell about usual jars, with which major part of workaday life of people of the region, traditional lifestyle.
Metal jars from copper, brass, bronze and silver and sometimes gold people started making since long, and according ancientry of origin they concede only ceramics.
In each region "viloyat", today they are called in different ways, thus one can meet in the literature kumgan, obdasta, oftoba, choidishi and tuny.
This is linked with peculiarities of household, cultural traditions of each terrain. Probably, if to follow the etymology of those words, they are similar in the majority: "obdasta" "vessel with water" in the translation from Persian, "kumgan" vessel for water according "Ancient Turk Dictionary". The attempt to see in the root of this word Turk "kum" "sand" is rather arguable. All vessels, as a rule, have globular corpus with stand, neck, completing with lid, handle and spout. Kuza differs, as it has no last element. And Khorezm "tun" has no handle.
Spout is extremely important detail, not only uniting, but allowing to differentiate vessels. Kumgan, oftoba, obdasta, tea-pots have dainty elongated, tipped to corpus spout. If spout is opened in the upper part and continues neck, creating slinkyflow; this is choyidish. Tun has tipped spout of exquisite form, in the form of swan neck. Such form of vessel without handle is distributed in Khorezm. By the way, talking about Khorezn school of art metal: cap of lid of Khiva kumgan of I century reminds shadow-figure of traditional cap of Khorezm inhabitant "chugurtma".
From the talk with Bukhara master Shakir Kamalov I had learned interesting information about functional meaning of "obdast", inhabitants divide it for four types. They separate distinctly vessels for drinking and for sanitary purposes, there are several jars in the household. The first one is for washing before prayer "tokhorat", the other one is for underwashing after sexual act "gusul oftobasy", the third one is oftoba with dastshuy is envisaged for guest hands washing, and finally "safari", this is flat jar designed for travelling.
Talking about ornaments decorating art metal, we'll have to do practically brief excursion into history of arts of Central Asia, as the whole pantheon of gods existing in the region had found its reflection in the metal. We have already mentioned about golden head of bull from Altyn - tepe, about Saks pot depicting the scene of cosmogony character. Greek culture influenced greatly on local culture, when antique torevrika implemented on metal, in particular, on silver winecup is "tree of life". Wingy camel, Zoroastrian god of victory and thunderstorm personification, is depicted on silver jar of century.
According the measure for Islamic position strengthening the depictions were changing for ornaments. Though, even with that the previous traditions of figurative depiction had been left, but already in stylized manner. Zoomorphic motives are present on the tray of II century, at the bottom circle there are five running one after another animals, the tails of which outgrow into bines and leaves. The image of "blooming garden", "tree of life", buds, bines, leaves, having common for oriental ornament symbolic continues to exist. Similarity of ornaments with architecture d'cor and the whole of semantics is in the fact, that in the past "nakkosh", ornamentalist was compiling patterns both as for architects as well as for chasers.
Source: http://www.artandcraft.uz
|
|
|
|
|
