History and culture: The exhibition “Art of Ancient Cyprus” from the collection of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow

Since October 14, 2014 the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow) first hosts the fundamental exhibition, dedicated to the art of ancient Cyprus. The exposition, which has become the result of many years of work of scientists and restorers of the museum, features more than 350 monuments – mainly painted vases, sculpture and terracotta figures of the III millennium – the early Hellenistic era.

The collection of Cyprus art of the Pushkin State Museum is the largest in Russia and counts about 900 items. It was formed from three private collections, two of which of the XIX century – by archaeologist A. S. Uvarov and prominent Russian orientalist V. S. Golenishchev and the hird collection of the XX century – P. K. Yermoshin, the first Soviet ambassador to Cyprus.

Another part of the collection of Cyprus art is derived from the Fund o displaced values, where things from ancient collection of Berlin were kept. It came to the museum in 1945. Monuments that were in the bunker in Friedrichshain were blown up during the fighting. Many items from the Fund needed not only in the restoration but in full recovery.

The work on the restoration of monuments of Cypriot art began in the Pushkin Museum in 2002, some of them were on display in the exhibition "Archaeology of the war. Return from oblivion" (2005). During the last four years of restoration workshops of pottery and stone sculptures of the Pushkin Museum were fully working exclusively with the Cypriot collection. There were carried out technical and technological research, possible to determine the composition of clay and paints of murals of Cyprus, to develop best practices for the preservation of monuments. During the operation the restorers have used a range of modern technologies, such as methods of cleaning, the use of specific products to strengthen ceramics. 

The exposition space is built on a thematic basis and is shaped like an island. Openly and in small windows, placed in the middle of the Olympic hall of the museum, are two main sections of works that introduce the viewer to the original art of ancient Cyprus. These are vases and sculpture, terracotta plastic.

Another form of art of ancient Cyprus is reliefs. Visitors can see one of the best monuments of that time - the tombstone spouses, crowned figure of a lion.  

Outstanding works from the collection of the Pushkin Museum, presented at the exhibition, introduce viewers to the original art of Cyprus, opening a new chapter in the study of culture, serving for the New Age as a link between the ancient and the East and the West.