Of Gold and Grass, a collection of art contemporary to Alexander the Great and Darius I, is on display now through April 15 at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park.
In a startling juxtaposition of the old and new Kazakhstan, from whence the art was gathered, museum docents and patrons enjoyed a Dec. 20 talk and question/answer period with the United States ambassador to Kazakhstan, John M. Ordway.
What is now Kazakhstan was situated along the fabled Silk Road that stretched from Greece to China 2,000 years ago. There, merchant caravans encountered and influenced the nomadic Sytho-Sakian people, whose culture revolved around the horse, which they rode, burdened, milked and ate as they traveled from place to place on the steppes.
The art of China, Syria, Persia and Greece influenced these nomadic tribes. The magnificent collection on display features a replica of the Golden Warrior in full armor; a leather, hand-tooled, silver-studded saddle; elaborate horse and human adornments; tapestries, rugs, belts, and jewelry; and serving and eating vessels of silver and gold, some studded with precious and semiprecious stones.
Ordway spoke of present-day Kazakhstan, formerly a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) until its collapse in 1991.
Referring to “Borat,” Ordway said, “There’s a movie playing near you. That is not Kazakhstan.”
The ninth largest country in the world, Kazakhstan was a repository for political prisoners at the time of the Russian Revolution and beyond. It provided storage for Russia’s nuclear armaments during World War II and the Cold War. When the U.S. established diplomatic relations in 1991, the country was induced to give up its nuclear weapons, which had left a legacy of infrastructure and pollution.
When Kazakhstan became independent, said Ordway, its leaders wisely realized they had inherited a multinational, multi-cultural nation of Jews, Catholics, Protestants and Muslims. According to the ambassador, such religious diversity is embraced.
Women work, drive cars and run small businesses, and education is open to both genders. Asked if the people are interested in preserving the heritage and artifacts of the region, Ordway replied that most care more where they’re spending their next vacation or what automobile they will buy next. The government itself is interested in preservation, and the capital city has numerous fine museums. Most of the population speaks Russian, though Kazak, similar to Turkish, is the state language.
A visit to the Mingei is always rewarding. A blast from Kazakhstan’s past, “Of Gold and Grass” is an outstanding example of the richness and diversity that exist in humankind’s practical and decorative objects.
The Mingei International Museum is located at 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. www.mingei.org or (619) 239-0003.
