Soul of the nation

A genuine Slutsk sash and a 500-year-old Neman dugout canoe… What else can you see in the exhibition of ancient Belarusian culture at the Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences?

The largest collection of icon painting — from the works of 16th-century masters to the beginning of the 19th, several thousand archaeological finds, the most complete collection of national Belarusian costumes in the world in all the beauty of traditional embroidery and cutout, rushniks [traditional hand embroidered towel], pottery and ancient bells removed from destroyed temples… The sheer number of exhibits is breathtaking. The Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences has recently completely updated its exposition of ancient Belarusian culture.

Museum of Ancient Belarusian Culture at Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore under Belarus’ National Academy
of Sciences

In the name of science

The scientific exposition is located in Minsk on Surganova Street, 1/1. In the near future, it will be transformed into a departmental Research Museum of Belarusian Art and Culture. This status will allow it to participate in various exhibitions and conduct more vigorous activity, including on the international stage. Moreover, scientists have a lot to demonstrate. More than 30,000 unique items, comprising 14 thematic collections, are recognised as a national treasure. This status means that their loss would be irreplaceable, as emphasised by PhD in Art History, Associate Professor Boris Lazuko, Head of Ancient Belarusian Culture Department at the Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore of the National Academy of Sciences, “Our funds began to be formed on the basis of the Institute of Art Studies, Ethnography and Folklore under the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR from 1977. In the early stages, almost all items were brought by researchers from expeditions. During the times of active anti-religious campaigns, items — that are now the jewels of the collection — were literally saved from destruction. Or they were retrieved from rubbish, such as the unique shroud from the late 18th century, taken from a temple in Drogichin District. We have a collection of ringing bells that were intended for smelting, but scientists intercepted them at the last moment. Now we are replenishing the collection in different ways. In addition to the traditional option — scientific expeditions — many things are brought by people, and we also buy some items.”

  

Witness to military glory

One of the rarities is an oak dugout canoe, raised from the bottom of the Neman River near the village of Nikolayevo in Ivye District of Grodno Region. In 2018, this was a scientific sensation. The boat has undergone a lengthy restoration process and is being exhibited for the first time. A special display case and a glass dome have been made for it, so the 500-year-old artefact should not be damaged. According to specialists, this canoe was for military or commercial use — this is evidenced by its size (8.5 metres), the presence of oarlocks for several pairs of oars, and other features, including the fact that the boat is made of oak, while canoes for personal use were made from other types of wood, such as pine. 

Sash as a path

The display case of the hall, decorated in the style of a noble manor interior, features two authentic Slutsk sashes — a double-sided, four-faced sash of Slutsk manufacture, and a Slutsk-type sash woven in Lyon. Just imagine, even in the 18th century, our goods were being copied! Nowadays, under the Revival of Traditions and Technology of Slutsk Sash Making state programme, the first copy, presented to President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, was made precisely from the Belarusian rarity displayed in the exhibition. Incidentally, Boris Lazuko is a two-time recipient of the special prize of the President of the Republic of Belarus to cultural and artistic figures, and the initiator of the project to revive Slutsk sashes. “This display case is under 24-hour guard, as it exhibits virtually priceless items,” the scholar clarified. 

Faces of centuries

The exhibition occupies a fairly spacious area (over 600 square metres), yet it is still impossible to display all the treasures. Therefore, most of the rarities are kept in storage. There are about a thousand antique icons alone — Orthodox, Catholic and rare Uniate ones. Among them are miraculous images: the Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn icon — a 19th-century copy of the original in Vilnius, and the Hodegetria of Belynichi icon — one of the first copies of the original, made in the 1670s. The latter was found by scientists behind a stove in a cemetery chapel in the village of Snov, Nesvizh District. “Another rarity is the Catholic icon Adoration of the Magi, painted no later than 1514,” recounted Boris Lazuko. “It was found in the Catholic Church of Peter and Paul in the village of Drisvyaty, Braslav District. The temple had been closed, and property was being wasted. 

Common vandalism

The largest exhibit in the hall of sacred collections is the effigy (a type of memorial commemorative sculpture placed in Catholic churches or chapels) of Pavel Stefan Sapieha and his three wives. The monumental relief figures were brought from the Catholic Church of Peter and Paul in Golshany. “During several expeditions, we witnessed an absolutely barbaric scene: local vandals were hitting the marble with hammers and crowbars simply for entertainment,” recalled Boris Lazuko. “The scene is incomprehensible to a reasonable person, but that’s what happened. Finally, in 1980, we obtained permission and removed what remained, along with fragmented pieces of various sizes.”
Using the composition, which echoes the outline of the main façade of the Catholic Church in Golshany, as a basis, the scientists restored the majestic tombstone. 

Traditional Belarusian costume

BELARUSIAN COSTUME — IT IS STYLISH

A separate hall showcases examples of folk costumes — from the Pinsk Polesie region to Minsk, Podvinye [Vitebsk Dvina Basin Region] and Podneprovye [Dnieper Basin Region] areas. When this clothing arrived at the museum, it was in a completely different condition — with numerous tears, losses, and dirty spots. Luckily, the Ancient Belarusian Culture Department has restoration workshops, whose specialists are true professionals. “We have the largest collection of Belarusian folk costumes in the world — around one hundred complete sets,” continued Boris Lazuko. “Textiles are widely represented by wimples [traditional headwear], women’s bonnets and headscarves, rushniks, traditional folk sashes, bedspreads, lacework, embroidery, picturesque ‘malyavanka’ painted carpets, ‘pisanki’ [decorated Easter eggs], ‘vytinanki’ [art form of papercutting], to name but a few. The collection of early printed and handwritten books is not extensive, but really captivating. It includes, for example, the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania published in a printing house in Wilno [now Vilnius] in 1588, musical collections from the 18th century, and much more.”

The holdings of the future Research Museum of Belarusian Art and Culture of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences number over 35,000 items. The collection grows annually by 50–100 exhibits.

By Olga Bebenina

Photos by Aleksandr Kushner