On November 12, the State Hermitage Museum, General Staff Building in Saint Petersburg hosted the opening of the exhibition Unseen Art: Pushing the Boundaries of Potential. The project is organized by the State Hermitage Museum and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum within the support of Jewelry and Watch House of Cartier.

This innovative project primarily designed for individuals with visual disabilities removes the barrier between a visitor and an exhibit. 

One part of the exhibition displays the relief model of Rembrandt's painting Self-Portrait with Shaded Eyes, preserved in the Leiden Collection (USA) and presented to the public for the first time in Hermitage in 2018 at the exhibition The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection. Another part of the exhibition dedicated to the famous Panjakent murals preserved in Hermitage showcases the tactile bas-reliefs and their animated narratives designed based on these murals.

A significant part of the project is the newly woven replicas of textile fragments found in the Pazyryk burial mound, Altai. These are the innovative replicas of the felt fragment of a cover for yurt made by the specialists from Saint Petersburg and the pile fragments of the Pazyryk carpet woven by the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum (ANCM). 

 

Dr Shirin Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and Sultan Gasimov, General Counsel of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Saint Petersburg represented our country at the event. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held online.

Opening the event, Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum spoke about the project, thanked the ANCM for cooperation, and presented to the museum one of the exhibits displayed at the exhibition - the tactile felt fragment depicting a rider and a deity. M. Piotrovsky noted the portability of the exhibits and said that they will be demonstrated in a number of countries in the near future during the Hermitage Days. 

During her speech, Dr. Melikova mentioned the ANCM’s innovative project Museum Without Borders designed for individuals with visual disabilities and adapted to the ANCM’s permanent exhibition in 2019. She highlighted that the specialists of the ANCM's experimental laboratory developed the ancient technique that combines the pile and flat-woven techniques. Such an interactive and tactile display allows visitors to explore carpets and experience the techniques. 

Igor Malkiel, Head of the Laboratory for Scientific Restoration of Precious Metals of the State Hermitage visited Baku back then to facilitate masterclasses on the conservation of jewelry within the framework of the UNESCO program. Inspired by the ANCM’s inclusive project, he shared it with the Hermitage Museum, which lead to the start of cooperation between the two museums. The laboratory of the Hermitage developed a color scale for the Pazyryk carpet, while the ANCM laboratory selected wool shades and manually colored the yarn with natural dyes. Following the ANCM designed sketches and weaved the fragments of the famous Hermitage exhibit.

 

Sergey Khiruntsev, Marketing and Communication Director Cartier Russia and CIS said in his speech: “We are happy that the State Hermitage Museum continues to seek opportunities to ensure equal access to the masterpieces of world art for all and this is absolutely consonant with the values and commitments of the House of Cartier. It is invaluable for us to be a part of this initiative.”

 

Exhibition runs until December 12.