Adorned

A National Gallery of Victoria exhibition in association with Ararat Regional Art Gallery

Adorned: Textiles and Jewellery from Central Asia draws on the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria to present a window into the magnificent sartorial traditions of the vast Central Asian region stretching from China in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, and between Russia in the north and Pakistan in the south. The exhibition, comprising over sixty works, explores textiles and jewellery from Central Asia through the distinctive traditions of two of the largest cultural groups of the region, the Uzbek and Turkmen peoples. Urban Uzbek mercantile communities were based in market towns along the Silk Road, and the nomadic Turkmen peoples lived on the steppes of Central Asia. Their textile skills, including dyeing, weaving and embroidery, and the distinctive styles and motifs of their garments are presented with jewellery from each culture. 

The NGV wishes to acknowledge the generosity of Vivien and Graham Knowles who have supported the acquisition of the majority of works on display. In addition we thank Cornelia Goode and Charles Goode AC, Rose Downer and John Downer AM and other donors to the Court Collection appeal.