Историческое оружиеведение (Mar 2023)
Kubachi arms in Russian Museum of Ethnography. Part 1: Items acquired for the museum by E. M. Shilling
Abstract
By this material, the author begins a series of articles on Kubachi arms presented in the collection of Russian Museum of Ethnography (RME). Each article deals with items acquired for the museum by different collectors. This one is dedicated to items acquired by Evgeniy Mikhailovich Shilling (1892 – 1953), a famous ethnographer and caucasiologist. In addition to description and attribution of items themselves, the article addresses some issues that will help to better present a number of features peculiar to Kubachi culture, as well as its place and role in the Caucasus. Expeditions led by E.M. Shilling were conducted by the museum in 1933-1935. In these particular years, Shilling collected unique items that reflect the region’s life and culture. Most of them are now exhibited in Russian Museum of Ethnography. Among collected items, a special place is occupied by numerous blanks (including those for arms manufacture), certain parts used in manufacture and decoration processes, as well as tools necessary for arms and jewelry manufacture. The article observes four items: a dagger, a sabre, a shashka and a pistol. The author describes important design and decoration details that allow to attribute the items, provides historical references, information about the craftsmen and other data necessary for full understanding of the items. Despite the fact that the article presents diverse items, they are united by the personality of E.M. Shilling himself. This makes their presence in the RME collection not random and depersonalized as getting into the collection extends an item’s life – it is an important part of its fate.
