All three museums have their own collection traditions corresponding to their different histories. The focus in Leipzig is more on ceramics, and in Dresden on textile products, while the small collection in Herrnhut includes only a few objects from Uzbekistan.
The majority of the pieces were originally purchased from the private collection of the Leipzig graphic artist and painter Gerd Thielemann. Ikat textiles and especially coats from Central Asia came into private and museum collections in Europe only sporadically at the end of the 19th century.
It is characteristic of Central Asian ikats that the warp threads are dyed first before the warp is set up. The threads, over a hundred meters long, are resist-dyed in one process, then put together in narrow strips 30 – 45 cm wide and finally woven into coats and other clothing. Silk was always the primary material although cotton also could be combined with silk. It is remarkable what could be produced on often simple treadle looms.
The major centers of silk culture are Marghelan, Namangan, Kokand, Bukhara, Samarkand and Kitob. Luxury coats for the upper class were worn one on top of each other. Halats are traditionally shaped like a T. Women’s and men’s coats looked basically the same, so a definite identification is not always possible. As a rule, all coats and coverings are lined. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, these were mostly made of cotton (and printed fabric) that were either produced locally or imported from Russia. Sometimes there were also lined with other ikat pieces. After gaining independence, Uzbekistan became open to the Western market and Uzbek ikats are once again capturing the hearts of textile lovers.
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".
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