Where are the glazed ceramics from the Bibi Khanum Mosque kept now?

Where are the glazed ceramics from the Bibi Khanum Mosque kept now?

The Náprstek Museum (originally the Czech Industrial Museum) was established in the 1860s by Vojtěch Náprstek (1826 – 1894), a notable figure in Czech cultural and political life, and his mother Anna (1788 – 1873) – a successful Prague businesswoman.

Where are the glazed ceramics from the Bibi Khanum Mosque kept now?

A few exhibits were transferred to the museum in 1921 by other museums, while some others were presented by the collectors’ heirs in the second half of the 20th century. After 1950, the most significant contributor to the collection of the Náprstek Museum was Jiří Bečka, Ph. D. He presented the museum with almost sixty
artifacts that demonstrate the magnificence of the handicrafts of Central Asia. There are textiles - examples of ikat fabrics, Uzbek and Tajik caps of the 1950s decorated with embroidery, two small kilims of the same period, men’s leather shoes with soft mahsi soles, and a gourd tobacco box.

In the 1960s, ninety nine pieces of glazed ceramics originating from Mary and Samarkand (including the ones installed in the Bibi Khanum mosque) were transferred from the historical department of the National Museum to the Náprstek Museum. In the 1970s, the collection of Central Asian ceramics was enriched with the state gift that the Náprstek Museum received with the assistance of the Ministry of Culture of Czechoslovakia. These were works by particular masters from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The Náprstek Museum received other highly-valued items from different private individuals who are still continuing to contribute to the enrichment of the collection demonstrating a wide range of materials and technologies used.

You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Collection of the Czech Republic" (Volume XVI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".

The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.