The carpet appears to be a fine example of the so called ‘presentation pieces’, the manufacture of which was widely practised in Russia during the reign of Nicholas I. For example, the ‘carpet with coats of arms’, from the collection at the Russian Ethnographic Museum. Also that of Nicholas II, for details see the catalogue of the exhibition ‘The Imperial Collection of the Russian Ethnographic Museum’.

These pieces were made en masse for the most important events in the country's history: for coronations, Imperial weddings, births of Royal heirs, for visits by ambassadors and for delegation receptions during official visits by the Romanov family in particular regions of the Empire. As a rule, the presented gifts were decorated with Russian Imperial symbols, following special rules, or with techniques that used local skills and designs of the country of origin.

A large part of the coronation presents were made up of luxurious, beautifully made presentation dishes. During travels and at receptions with regional delegations there was a tradition to present gifts with ethnic designs: weapons, national costumes, embroidery, carpets and Orthodox or Buddhist religious items. Requirements for their making were high but not as strict as for the coronation pieces.

This carpet is closer to the above group of items: this can be seen by the design of the hala gebe, and the technique in which it has been made - despite the precision and detail of the work, the artist or weaver allowed mistakes to be made in the inscription (which was not allowed in coronation gifts) and changed the style of the portrayal of the Oranta, etc.

Judging by all the aspects of the gebe, it most likely belonged to the group of numerous gifts given to the Imperial Family during their visit to the Caucasus in the summer of 1888 (see chapter ‘Visit to the Caucasus’ in the above mentioned museum catalogue). Although Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna never crossed the borders of the Northern Caucasus, they were visited by numerous delegations from Zakavkazya and Daghestan. Therefore the Azerbaijani representatives could have prepared and presented His Imperial Highness with a carpet with a depiction of the crowned couple blessed by the Miraculous Oranta.

(Editor's note: Additional evidence concerning the carpet's dating, proves that the carpet is dated with the Arabic date 1303 A.H. The last four characters of the inscription are the Arabic numerals 1303 written in the style of the Caucasus weavers. This corresponds to the period of September 1885 to September 1886. This information only came to light after Elena Tsareva finished this report. This proves that she was correct and very insightful in her judgements as by example in the above paragraph)

It is known that from the same visit, Alexander III bought back Caucasian weapons which all the Romanovs loved. Clothes, carpets and fabrics, with the exception of Maria Feodorovna’s personal belongings, were left in the Abas Tuman Romanov estate in the Caucasus and at Livadia in the Crimea. In the light of the fact that the carpet was taken out of the country by Maria Feodorovna when she emigrated, it becomes more evident that the ex-Empress, not limited by weight or size of luggage, took everything that she could with her from the Crimea on the English cruiser.

This method of export of the carpet seems much more likely than the legend of its transportation from the Arsenal at Gatchina. Firstly, this type of gebe was not found in the archives and was not visible in any of the photographs of interiors of rooms in the Arsenal; secondly, Alexander III, unlike other members of the Royal family, was not an admirer of Eastern art, especially folk kitsch (he liked Russian and ancient kitsch). The carpet would therefore hardly have been bought back from the trip to Petersburg. Thirdly, it is even less likely that, leaving the Crimea, Maria Feodorovna took with her something that was considered ordinary by the Imperial Family (this implies they had a lot of carpets), especially considering that Livadia was extremely well furnished by many generations of the Romanovs.

I completely agree with the commentary by Elena Kobkova on the carpet: concerning the idea of the meaning for the creation of the carpet. When presenting gifts, people from the beginning of time have understood the magic, both negative and positive, of hand made objects especially such ancient artefacts as fabrics (much more ancient than metals for example). Gifts of ethic origin were specially presented to attract the attention of the important recipient to the culture of the nation-giver.

In the 19^th Century Russian aristocrats showed much interest in carpets as a compulsory item of palace interiors. All the rarities from Alexander III's collection were stored in his and Maria Feodorovna’s own museum (later called The Historical Rooms) in the Anichkov Palace (at the end of the 1920s they were rightly transferred to the Gatchina Palace Fund and are now stored in various parts of the Museums at Pavlovsk, Petrodvorets, the Hermitage and in the Ethnographical Department of the Russian Museum).

I cannot agree with the possibility that the carpet could have hung in Maria Feodorovna’s private apartments at Gatchina. It is unrealistic to think that the Orthodox Imperial couple would have hung a Muslim piece of work in their rooms, especially as it depicted one of the greatest Orthodox sacred figures and was not blessed. Abroad (in this century) the carpet could have a completely different meaning. There, any reminder of past happy days would be carefully looked after.

As I have already said, carpets, as bearers of magic symbols, and to a certain extent, magical artefacts, were considered to be favourite highly valued gifts by all the nations who made them (not only in the East).The Caucasus were no exception with its well developed ritualised system of presenting gifts. Azerbaijan, with its historical ties with Iran and with Iranian culture, especially in terms of applied design, was not really understood and studied in Russia. However, it is evident that considering the choice of the most characteristic presentation items from the 1880s, the most probable choice was piled carpets, since Azerbaijanis themselves at this time considered them to be an essential and significant part of their monetary culture.

Both the technique, the number of knots per cm5 , the peculiar way of knotting, white weft threads and the finish and the ornamental design, (including not only the selection of borders, but the style of the central figures) and the colour range, without doubt point to the Cuba-Shirvan, or more precisely to the Shirvani group of Azerbaijani carpets of the second half of the 19th Century.

The carpet is a ‘Maraza’ type (called marasa or Marsali in the West, see Murray L. Eiland. Oriental Rugs from the Pacific Collections, pp. 182, 183). The ornamental features that prove that this carpet belongs to this group are: the inside wide border ‘bird meander’, the feature ‘maraza bute’ in the lower panel of the central section and others (see L. Kerimov. Rugs and Carpets of Azerbaijan, in: Rugs and Carpets from Leningrad, 1984, pp.18, pl. 42, 52). At the same time the carpet demonstrates some features close to the ‘maraza’ group ‘shemakha’, for example the design ‘cup with a leaf’ on the wider inner border (ib., pl.12, 17).

The craftsman liked unusual colours, such as the attraction of what was then ‘modern’ aniline, showing an orientation of the maker to European taste (as he understood it) and an attempt to make the present more beautiful and expressive. In the close-up of the star pattern border may be seen examples of the 'modern' aniline orange coloured dye at the centre of the stars. These sections contain 9 knots each coloured with this dye.

As far as the human likenesses are concerned, they were, despite the defined limitations, characteristic for a range of carpet groups of the Muslim East. They define each group according to their distinctive styles. For example, the famous ‘hunting’ Persian palace carpets are closer in style to pictures on miniatures, at the same time as Kadzharsky carpets (at the end of the 18^th Century, beginning of the 20^th Century), depicted figures of ancient Tsars and personalities of the epoch, aspiring to traditional versions of imitations of European painting.

Kadzharian carpets of this type were characteristically unique, due to the way in which the central area was divided into an upper and lower panel, and depicting for example Darii and Mitra, heroes and Iranian coats of arms etc. The Azerbaijanis were drawn particularly to the latter type of the majority of Shirvani pictorial carpets of the 19th Century. The latter version is not surprising since Azerbaijan (earlier known as Aturpatakana) was historically drawn to Iran, and was a part of its territory. Its largest town Isfahan was once the capital of Safavid Iran.

Therefore the carpet fully shows both the decorative styles of pictorial gebes of the Cuba-Shirvan group of Azerbaijani carpets and possesses all the features of a presentation piece of this type. For example the direct gaze of the figures, the local design of the border, and the excellent quality of technique in what is the most traditional kind of carpet in this group.

Considering everything that has been written above on the popular pictorial compositions of Azerbaijani carpet making of the 19^th Century, the carpet is without doubt unique. This is true because there is only one of this kind, and because of its design. Without a doubt, the image of the Russian Imperial couple with an Orthodox icon cannot be found anywhere else in Muslim art as a whole.

The carpet’s place, naturally, is with everything that was intended to be preserved in memory of Emperor Alexander III. Namely, in the Russian Ethnographic Museum of the former Ethnographic Department of the Russian Museum of the Emperor Alexander III and the successor to the Memorial Department of the Museum.

With great regret, the personnel of the museum wish to make clear that the majority of the items from the Memorial Department’s collection were sold, on the whole, to foreigners in the period of 1920-1940. It was impossible to stop this process even by risking the lives of colleagues. But it is worth mentioning that some of the collection stayed intact by sheer luck. Any replenishment of this part of the collection would be seen as an event of extreme significance.

The Ethnographical Museum was founded in 1895 by Nicholas II in memory of his father and was intended as a place where his collection could be stored. Like all other Russian State Museums, it hasn’t received one rouble to buy additions to the collection and this does not seem likely to change.

Considering the deep historical cultural value and therefore the financial value of Alexander III’s carpet, museum workers can only acknowledge the fact that such a piece exists and be grateful that they have had a chance to see it.

Judging by the current situation in Russia, it is likely that the carpet could be of interest. Firstly, as an object of major historical importance to heirs of its Azerbaijani creators and secondly as an example of the creative genius and wise foreign policies of their ancestors.

……{ signature }………

Tsareva, Elena

St. Petersburg,

May 1997

This museum was created on 14^th April, 1895 by Emperor Nicholas II by issued of Majesty's Supreme Decree, "On the Establishment of the Special Foundation – The Russian Museum…" For this purpose Nicolas II granted the Mikhailovsky Palace and all outbuildings. In 1897 the museum's Statute was approved, "…to honour the memory of Emperor Alexander III, an Unforgettable Sponsor of the Russian Arts. It aims to unite everything which is related to His Personality and the History of his Reign…"

Elena G. Tsareva is head of the working group for exhibition and Catalogue, senior researcher at the Russian Ethnographic Museum. Additionally she is involved in the plan of subjects and display, authoring and translating museum catalogues. Furthermore she is the compiling editor for the 1995 catalogue "Royal Collections of the Russian Ethnographic Museum".