What sort of gift is fit for a tsar? The Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery offers some stunning examples in its exhibition, “The Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in The Moscow Kremlin,” on view May 9⁓eptember 13.
Sumptuous textiles, bejeweled arms and armor, gold equestrian trappings and other rare objects illustrate the story of diplomatic relationships between Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Russia and its eastern allies: Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran.
Some of the objects were given by Ottoman sultans and the shahs of Iran, and others were offered by wealthy merchants to the Russian tsars and patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. All were originally bestowed on Russia by neighboring powers hoping to advance their economic and political agendas.
“The Tsars and the East” is the result of a partnership between the Freer and Sackler Galleries and The Moscow Kremlin Museums, allowing 65 of the Kremlin’s finest works of art to be on view for the first time in the United States. The Sackler Gallery will be the only venue for this exhibition.
Unlike the purely ceremonial gifts typically exchanged by heads of state today, the Ottoman sultans and the Safavid shahs presented gifts that were luxury commodities †items that held both ceremonial and economic value. Gifts were regularly exchanged between sovereigns but also offered by diplomats, merchant traders and others in search of royal favors.
“Merchants played an important role in the diplomatic embassies of the period, much like today’s ambassadors,” Farhad said. “They understood that a gift to the tsar was intended not only to impress and flatter, but to aid in negotiating a good deal between trading partners.”
Some of the earliest gifts on view are fine arms and armor from Iran, including an early Sixteenth Century shield inlaid with gold. The shield was acquired by Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich in 1622 upon the death of Prince Fedor Ivanovich Mistislavsky, who served as a commander for Ivan the Terrible. Lavishly decorated with intricate figural designs, the shield is the only extant example of its kind.
The exhibition features luxurious Ottoman gifts presented to the Russian court: a large jasper bowl encrusted with gems and a bejeweled rock-crystal tankard presented to Tsar Fyodorovich in 1632 were admired at court and used for royal receptions in the Seventeenth Century. In exchange, Russia typically offered sought-after raw materials, including rare ermine and sable furs.
Iranian and Turkish ceremonial arms and armor were part of the “Grand Attire,” a designation given to the most valued treasures of the tsar. Objects were often assessed and ranked by value. One well-crafted Turkish steel helmet in the exhibition was so highly esteemed by the court that it was ranked second in value in the vast Kremlin inventory.
Among silks and velvets that were often fashioned into elaborate ecclesiastic garments, on view is a sakkos (ceremonial robe) of Turkish satin woven with gold thread, acquired by the Russian ambassador to Turkey in the early Seventeenth Century.
By the Seventeenth Century, many Russian craftsmen had begun to assimilate Ottoman designs into their work, combining Eastern designs with traditional Russian motifs on imported Iranian and Turkish fabrics.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is at 1050 Independence Avenue SW. For more information, www.asia.si.edu or 202-633-1000.
