Two saddle blankets – sweat cloths zhipek zhona – from the Albion collection are of a special interest. They are made of a soft felt base, which rested on the back of a horse, covered with leather on the top and decorated with colored silk-embroidered geometric and zoomorphic motifs at the sides. All these make the saddle blankets particularly bright and luxurious. They are additionally ornamented with a fringe of twisted multi-colored silk threads sewn to their edges.
The collection of American researcher Adam Albion includes a few pairs of various Karakalpak leather shoes made by shoemakers yetikshi. The footwear is represented by ak pushta – men’s boots with pointed toes turned upwards, and geuish – cowhide shoes with leather soles and high stacked heels resembling European women’s shoes.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Cultural legacy of Uzbekistan in private collections of the USA and Canada" (volume XXXI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
