Chinese exhibits of decorative art from the “Kulenovic Collection” Museum from Karlskrona are ready to be presented to the Chinese experts, announced Rizah Kulenović, custodian of the Museum.
”China, which has been closed for centuries and which is not so familiar with the European and Balkan history, responded positively to the offer of the “Kulenovic Collection” Museum to present several of its Celadon Song and horses of Han Dynasty exhibits to the Chinese experts”, said custodian Kulenović.
He explained that preparations took more than a year.
”Apart from expertise of the exhibits, we also had to present origin of the family which owns the collection to a certain number of experts, as well as the historical connection with China and Chinese exhibits”, said the custodian.
That connection emerges from the historical fact that Ottoman people respectfully accepted Chinese porcelain from the beginning. Therefore the biggest collection out of China is at Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. On the other hand, historical connection of the generations and generations of Kulenović family and Ottoman Empire resulted in the “Kulenovic Collection”.
”Those two elements definitely indicate that paths of silk strongly connected China and Europe. The first exhibits of Chinese porcelain arrived in this part of Europe through silk over Ottoman Empire, and particularly valuable exhibits were custom made for royal families of China and presented on the occasion of standard diplomatic visits to military and management officials of Ottoman and other empires”, explained Kulenović.
He emphasized that history confirmed that presence of Bosnian merchants, generals and diplomats in Ottoman Empire reached borders of China and India. Historians such as Kreševljaković, Mujezinović, Korkut, whose works are used by today’s experts and historians of the institute for Ottoman history in the region, dealt with some of the famous Kulenović members, among other with Salih-pasha Kulenović at the end of 17th century, whose tombstone along with harem and mosque were declared cultural-historical monument. Salih- pasha Kulenović is responsible for construction and development of Kulen-Vakuf and looking from the aspect of science, he is the first documented member of the family. Generations before him were subjects of research of the official Vienna and Budapest at time of Austro-Hungarian rule and the official Zagreb at time of the Monarchy.
More than a hundred years old written documents of Konstantin Horman, Austro-Hungarian member of government in Sarajevo at the end of 19th century and his certificate of nobleman Kulenović which covers the period from mid-15th to the end of 19th century stored at the National Museum in Sarajevo, confirm the role Kulenovićs had in the Ottoman Empire and explain how valuable porcelain from time of ancient Chinese dynasties came into the possession of Kulenović family on the path of silk from China to the Ottoman Empire.
Beijing Institute for Ancient Chinese Language confirmed earlier that exhibit Celadon Song from the “Kulenovic Collection” Museum was made for needs of the Chinese royal dynasty Song and that it is between 950 and 1.000 years old.
Exhibit Celadon Song is of unusual form for this kind of porcelain, with a beautiful bluish tone and a perfect glaze with writings in ancient Chinese on the front and label on origin on the back and it belongs to a dynasty of Northern Song Dynasty which is greatly respected and studied.
”It is a unique copy which requires special attention in scientific and artistic sense”, said custodian Rizah Kulenović in an interview with FENA, who did not hide his satisfaction with recognitions he received from the Stockholm Museum of Far Eastern Antiques and from the Beijing Institute for Ancient Chinese Language, and now with confirmation of Chinese experts who will be presented with these valuable exhibits from the Museum in Karlskrona, whose custodian is from BiH.
(Source: Fena)
