Art of ancient Cyprus. From the collection of A.S. Uvarova

On November 22, the Historical Museum will host the opening of the exhibition “The Art of Ancient Cyprus. From the collection of A. S. Uvarov.” The exhibition will feature monuments from the collection of one of the founders of the Historical Museum, Count Alexei Sergeevich Uvarov, which gives a complete picture of the development of Cypriot art over two millennia.

In the department of archaeological monuments of the State Historical Museum, a small (about 200 items), but amazing in its beauty and originality, collection of monuments of ancient Cyprus occupies a special place. One of the founders of the Historical Museum, Count A. S. Uvarov, acquired a collection of Cypriot antiquities from the Russian envoy Yuzefovich, who carried out excavations in Cyprus in 1870, “not far from the temple in the tombs.” At that time, collecting antiquities was a fashionable hobby. Unfortunately, the Russian consul was not an archaeologist, but only a collector of antiquities, so he did not leave accurate information about the location where things were found. Uvarov’s premature death prevented him from publishing his Cypriot collection. After the revolution of 1917, the collection, located on an estate in Porechye, was nationalized and transferred to the State Historical Museum and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin.

Most of the monuments from the collection of the State Historical Museum date back to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC. Despite the fact that the island of Cyprus at all times of its history was at the crossroads of trade routes of the Mediterranean and was significantly influenced by Mycenaean Greece, the Middle East and North Africa, the main feature of Cypriot art is the uniqueness and sustainability of local traditions. Many items in the collection undoubtedly belong to the masterpieces of ancient art.

“The collection of Count A. S. Uvarov, which he transferred to the Historical Museum, has undeniable historical, cultural and museum significance. The objects presented at the exhibition demonstrate the art of ancient Cyprus, which at all times was at the crossroads of the most important trade routes of the Mediterranean and was greatly influenced by the Middle East, Greece and North Africa. Despite the important role of the culture of neighboring countries, the distinctive feature of Cypriot art is the uniqueness and sustainability of local traditions,” says Alexey Konstantinovich Levykin, General Director of the Historical Museum.

The exhibition project will bring together ceramic vessels of various shapes and decorations, terracotta and limestone figurines, and dishes from the 2nd millennium BC. Among the exhibits there are genuine masterpieces of ancient art: a rare composite vessel, a polychrome limestone portrait of a young girl and others. Most of the monuments at the exhibition will be exhibited for the first time.

For the exhibition, with the support of the History of the Fatherland Foundation, a publication has been prepared, representing the first special study of the Cypriot collections of the Historical Museum.