The collection was focused on arts, handicrafts, and archaeological artifacts from nearly every part of the Islamic world. Objects in its collection dating from the 19th and 20th centuries were limited to a few subject areas such as book art, calligraphy, carpets, and other textiles.
Alongside a few metalware objects, whose possible provenance from Uzbekistan is still being researched, the museum also has a small collection of Uzbek textiles. Besides a robe made of ikat patterned silk there are some large suzanis made of silk embroidery on cotton. The main collection of suzanis is kept in Berlin in the Ethnological Museum (see the essay by Ingrid Pfluger-Schindlbeck).
Nevertheless the Museum of Islamic Art possesses two special, stand-out pieces. One is a suzani from Shahrisabz with a very subtle color combination and a harmonious composition. The other belongs to the famous category of textiles called “large medallion suzanis”. The latter almost seems to glow with its deeply vibrant colors and striking composition, exerting a magical attraction. Its central medallion is fully embroidered, and the rays coming from it are embellished with floral and geometrical patterns, as well as with small pitchers.
All the elements of the design had distinct meanings, the interplay of which reproduced the symphony of life. This suzani used to belong to the poet Johannes R. Becher, who lived in Tashkent for a short time in the 1940s. His son’s nurse had used it as a bedspread. After the war the embroidery went with the poet and his family to Berlin. With its unusually rich variety of patterns and stunning colors, the piece in Berlin occupies a prominent place among the large medallion suzanis known today.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "Collections of the Federal Republic of Germany" (volume XI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
