National Museum events showcase Russian culture

Muscat – 

A cultural occasion titled, ‘The Day of the Hermitage’ was hosted by the National Museum below the auspices of H H Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, on Monday.

The occasion was held as element of a Memorandum of Understanding in between the National Museum of Oman and the State Hermitage of Russia.

The occasion highlights integrated the inauguration ceremony of an exhibition of 3 Russian national treasures: a late 18th century sabre presented by Empress Catherine II to Count Alexey Orlov-Chesmensky, a snuffbox with a well-known portrait of Catherine, and a Hispano-Moresque style ceramic vase featuring Arabic inscriptions alongside the Russian imperial emblem. The exhibition will stay open till May 10.

The occasion also marked the signing of a bilateral ‘Training and Capacity-building agreement’ by Jamal bin Hassan al Moosawi, director basic of the National Museum, and Prof Dr Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovskiy, director basic of the State Hermitage Museum. Other occasion highlights have been a lecture presented in Arabic by Prof Dr Piotrovskiy, titled ‘Mystery of the Oriental Collections of the Hermitage Museum’, and two conservation workshops performed by Russian professional Maksim Lapshi.

The State Hermitage is a renowned museum of art and culture in St Petersburg, Russia.

Information Source: Muscat Daily