Ancient Chernihiv, the Chernihiv National Architectural-Historical Park, is going to host a very interesting and conceptually original exhibition, which will be opened on May 18, at 2 p.m. It will be the single place to represent the ancient samurai swords and the priceless relics of the Cossacks: weapons and signet rings belonging to the representatives of the Cossack leaders, maybe even hetmans. All of 77 exhibits are taken from the Feldman’s Museum collection.
The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to compare these different from the first sight sociocultural phenomena and military traditions – the Cossack and the Samurai. However, this unexpected comparison helps to understand and to assess own cultural and historical heritage, to see it in the context of global history, to acknowledge the imperishable significance of moral values – courage, honour, patriotism, and self-sacrifice.
The samurai weapons presented in the exposition include skilfully adorned swords and knives cloaked in legends, with ancient blades forged by the best Japanese masters. The oldest of them are dated to the first half of the 15th century, when Ukrainian Cossacks only began to appear.
The Cossacks section consists of sabres, yataghans, knives, daggers, spearheads and tips of bear spears, chisels and ‘becs de corbin’, as well as decoration symbols belonging to the leaders – pernachs, shestopyors, silver belt, and signet rings dated to the middle of 16th – the beginning of 18th centuries, without which it is impossible to imagine neither Ukrainian hetman, nor the representative of high-rank Cossack leaders. These things gained sacred meaning in the eyes of their owners and their surroundings; they were heritable and turned from family relics into historical symbols of the whole country.
Each of these unique objects is interesting as a weapons artwork, and as a heraldic attraction, as a rarity related to the destinies of certain people and the past of Ukraine.
The exhibition is Chernihiv will be the second one carried out within the framework of the new historical and educative project of the ICF “Olekdandr Feldman Foundation.” The first one took place in the Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko Museum of Art (Kyiv) during near two months (from March 10 to May 8, 2016).
The opening ceremony will take place on May 18, at 2 p.m., at the following address: city of Chernihiv, 1, Preobrazhenska Str., the Ancient Chernihiv, the Chernihiv National Architectural-Historical Park (Collegium classroom).
Contact person:
Yevhen Vasylovych Syvachenko
Tel.: +38 050 323-18-02
