Exhibitions 21


KAZAKHSTAN Treasures from the Great Steppe


Land of the Golden Man and the great kurgans, Kazakhstan is a land of legends situated on the edge of the steppes of Central Asia. Tis exhibition offers an


overview of this history through five treasures that explore five major milestones of the civilisation, from the 3rd millennium BC to the 18th century. One of the five countries of Central Asia, at the crossroads between Asia and Europe, it is known for its unique historical and cultural development. Te land was first populated by nomadic peoples, who dominated the steppes, with major urban centres of settled populations emerging in later centuries. Te wealth of natural resources contributed to the development of international trade, bringing prosperity that further strengthened the cultural identity of the region. Te Huns, Scythians, and Turkic tribes all played a key role in shaping Kazakhstan’s culture, identity, and political alliances. After the decline of the Golden Horde, the Kazakh khanate emerged as the successor to Genghis Khan’s empire, laying the foundations for the traditional civilisation of the Kazakhs. Te first treasure in the exhibition is the Tinker of


Tobyl, from the Botai, an archaeological culture (circa 3700-3100 BC) of prehistoric northern Central Asia. Te Botai culture emerged with the transition from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle with a variety of game to a sedentary lifestyle with a diet that relied heavily on horse meat. Te transition of lifestyle from ancient nomadic tribes to an economy based on horse breeding is a major development of this period on the Steppe. Te second treasure is the


Golden Man, which heralds the emergence of the first Scythian states. During the 1st millennium BC, large federations of tribes and proto-states sharing a common culture began to


develop on the Eurasian steppes. Tese nomadic tribes, were called the Scythians, Saka, or Sarmatians by the Greeks and Persians. Te most important centres of Saka state formation were in southeast Kazakhstan (in the Jetissu), in the northern lakes and steppes region (Saryarka), near the Aral Sea, and in the Altai Mountains. Te ethnic proximity, the parallel development of their societies and the way of life of these diverse peoples generated a common culture, technologies and production of objects. In goldsmithing, for example, a common ‘animal style’ was particularly popular. Te discovery in 1969 of the Golden Man in Issyk, in the Almaty region, caused a sensation in the scientific community. Te


refinement of the gold ornaments of this


high-status man attests to a


Chapan, central Kazakhstan, 17th-18th century, brocade, gold, silver and metal threads, National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan


MANDALAS Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet


Tis exhibition explores the world of Himalayan Buddhist art and includes more than 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, costumes, weapons, instruments, and an array of ritual objects dating mainly from the 11th to the 15th century. Te focus is on illuminating the thematic components of Tibetan mandalas, intricately designed diagrams developed to support Vajrayana Buddhist practice, and on introducing how specific iconography


helped individuals on the path to enlightenment. Each gallery addresses a significant aspect of Tibetan artistic production: teachers who interpreted esoteric texts and established monastic lineages; bodhisattvas who help the devout on their spiritual path; protectors that rid the world of evil and protect the Buddhist teachings; and tantric deities as evocations of enlightenment. Te final gallery will contain a seminal group of mandalas, complex diagrams that integrate deities and iconography seen in the other galleries. As conceived within Tibetan Buddhism, ultimately it is the mandala and the associated tantric ritual that have the potential to offer access to true reality. Te early masterworks in


Portrait of a Kadam Master with Buddhas and His Lineage, central Tibet, circa 1180–1220, distemper on cloth, 114.3 cm x 76.2 cm, lent by the Michael J and Beata McCormick Collection


the exhibition juxtapose with a contemporary installation by Tibetan artist Tenzing Rigdol that has been commissioned by Te Met. At the centre of the exhibition, Tenzing Rigdol’s contemporary mandala depicts some of the concerns of today’s world, addressing issues related to climate change and the social responsibilities of the individual. Te artist said of


high degree of mastery of goldsmithing techniques. He also reflects the richness of the mythology and spirituality of the steppe civilisations. Tese nomads obviously venerated their leader, elevating him to the status of a solar deity. On one of the silver cups found near the grave shows traces of the oldest writing yet discovered in Central Asia.


Te third treasure is


represented by Balbal to represent the development of medieval Kazakhstan at the time of Turkish hegemony. Te balbal are megalithic funerary steles that are emblematic symbols of the nomadic Turkic populations. Tese anthropomorphic sculptures allow them to be identified with female and male figures, and can be found throughout the steppe world. Te candlesticks of the


Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi are the fourth treasure and represent the development of Islam. Ahmet Yasawi (1093-1166) was a 12th-century Sufi poet and mystic who played a decisive role in the development of Islam and Sufism in the Turkic territories of Central Asia. He came from Yasi, now Turkistan, a prosperous oasis on the trade routes that connected China to the Middle East. His mausoleum was built during the time of Timur sometime between 1389 and 1405. Te Timurid empire (1370-1507) ruled over a territory that included Iran and Central Asia. Te mausoleum’s architects were of Persian origin and experimented with new architectural solutions, including the use of blue and turquoise bricks decorated with geometric decorations, which were later adopted for the construction of the capital in Samarkand. Today, it is one


An ornamental element from the Golden Man, discovered in Yssk, Almaty region, 4th-3rd century BC, gold, National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan


Horde, founded around 1465-66 in southern Kazakhstan by two descendants of Genghis Khan, Kerei Khan and Janibek Khan, as the Mongol and Golden Horde hegemony in Eurasia came to an end. It was during this period


of the largest and best- preserved buildings from the Timurid period. For the interior decoration of the mausoleum, six candlesticks had been commissioned by Emir Timur. Made of metal, most likely inlaid with gold and silver, they are typical of Islamic decorative art of the Timurid period. In their time they were considered objects of great luxury and bore either the name of the commissioner or that of the craftsman and the precise date of manufacture. Finally, the fifth treasure is


the chapan (coat) of Kazybek biy Keldibekuly, the focus of the exploration of the rise of the Kazakh khanate and the emergence of modern Kazakhstan. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, most of the territory of modern Kazakhstan was administered by the Kazakh Khanate (1465-1718). It was one of the successor states to the Golden


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Mahakala, Protector of the Tent, central Tibet, circa 1500, distemper on cloth, 162.6 x 134.6 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Zimmerman Family, Collection, gift of the Zimmerman Family


• Until 12 January 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, metmuseum.org.


his work, ‘I’m trying to explore the quintessential tantric idea of universality and oneness, and how intricately interconnected we all are’. Te artist continued, ‘It is said that when the Buddha reached enlightenment, he looked at a leaf and, on that leaf, he saw stars, he saw rain, he saw soil, he saw air, and, in essence, he saw interdependency’.


• A catalogue accompanies the exhibition.


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Shapoorji Pallonji And Company Private Limited, Corporate Office: SP Centre, 41/44 Minoo Desai Marg, Colaba, Mumbai 400005, India. Tel: +91 67490000 Website: www.shapoorji.in


that the Chinese Ming dynasty (1368-1644) came to power in China after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty (1234-1368), founded by the Mongols, and that Ivan III of Russia, known as the Great (r 1462-1505), declared Russia’s independence from the Golden Horde in 1480. Te emergence of the Kazakh Khanate was a turning point in the history of Kazakhstan: it saw the establishment of a nation with a united cultural and ethnic community for the Kazakhs. Te khanate modelled its governance on the political alliances and states that had existed before it, allowing judicial authority to be exercised by judges elected by the people. Te court of these judges, adapted to deal with nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples functioned until the beginning of the 19th century. One of these judges was a prominent diplomat and statesman, Kazybek biy Keldibekuly (1667-1764).


• Until 24 March 2025, Musée Guimet, Paris, guimet.fr


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