Exhibition "Art of the East"

About exhibition

"The East is a delicate matter" — as the hero of a famous Soviet film puts it, you can see for yourself by visiting the exhibition. The collection of the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts presents works from Japan, China, and Iran dating from the late 18th to the 20th century. All the pieces in the museum, in one way or another, were present in Russia: in the homes of aristocrats and wealthy merchants before 1917. Thus the exhibition not only acquaints the viewer with the art of Eastern countries but also shows how Russians viewed its development and reflects the tastes of our ancestors. The exhibition devoted to Eastern art features examples of 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e prints, Chinese, Japanese, and Iranian porcelain and ceramics, embroidery, and household items that, in their finest examples, are true works of art. One such item is a unique Japanese porcelain vase from the early 18th century. This object of the traditional pottery art of the Land of the Rising Sun attracts lasting attention from connoisseurs of Eastern aesthetics and philosophy. Its decorations are full of symbols of health, well-being, and wealth. "He who knows how to comfort himself with old things will be healed of diseases and will prolong his life," — Dun Ci Chan (Chinese philosopher of the 15th century).