Iu. E. Berezkin (ed.), Iu. K. Chistov, S. A. Korsun

Tlinkity: katalog kollektsii kunstkamery (Tlingit Tribe: Catalogue of the Collection of the Kunstkamera [St. Petersburg])

St. Petersburg: Kunstkamera, 2007. Sewn pb. Besides the ethnographic interest of the Kunstkamera’s collection, the masks, helmets, weapons, woven articles, and shamans’ costumes typify the forceful imagery of primitive artifacts that was one of the wellsprings of modern art. The collection ranges from the everyday to the ornately ceremonial, and many works display a stark beauty such as the abstract patterns on woven hats and the fearful imagery of the masks. The introduction traces the formation of the collection from the voyages of Russian explorers and traders starting with G. G. Izmailov and D. I. Bocharev in 1788, who sent artifacts to the Siberian governor, from whom they were conveyed to Catherine the Great; these first Tlingit works entered the Kunstkamera in 1790. The catalogue entries describe the general purpose of the articles often quoting those who procured them and saw them in use, such as the shamans’ masks in healing rites. Chapters cover everyday tools and clothing, attributes of authority, arms and armor, and Shamans’ costumes. The generous format and quality of the reproductions facilitates study of a collection significant as a source on ethnography and primitive art. 272 pp., 9 ½ x 11 ½ ins., 16 b-&-w illus., 329 color, sewn pb., Rus. Item #628
ISBN: 9785884311510

Price: $104.00