Bukhara Miniatures and Metal Chasing: How to Choose Real Work

Bukhara is a city you want not only to see but to take away in a small piece: a patterned copper plate, a miniature on paper, gold embroidery. The old trading domes and narrow lanes keep craft traditions hundreds of years old. But among the many shops it is easy to get lost: what is genuine and what is mass-produced. Let us work it out using two of the most characteristic Bukhara crafts. If you are travelling from or to Samarkand, the Bukhara — Samarkand route is easy to combine with such a purchase.

The trading domes of Bukhara

The historic centre preserves domed trading arcades built many centuries ago at the crossing of trade routes. Among the known ones:

• Toki Zargaron (the jewellers' dome), where jewellery was traditionally traded;
• Toki Sarrafon (the moneychangers' dome), where exchangers worked;
• Telpak Furushon (the skullcap sellers' dome).

Today shops and workshops operate here selling miniatures, metal chasing, jewellery, textiles, skullcaps and souvenirs. The cool brick vaults offer good relief from heat, so a walk through the domes is pleasant even in summer.

Miniature painting

Uzbek miniature painting originates in book illustration: this is how manuscripts were decorated at the courts of the Timurid era and later rulers. Masters paint with fine brushes, sometimes of a single hair, on paper, silk or bone.

What you will see in miniatures:

1. scenes from eastern poems and legends;
2. court life, hunting, feasts;
3. landscapes and architecture;
4. floral patterns and birds;
5. portraits and genre scenes.

Paint is applied in layers, and gold is often used. Work on one miniature can take days or weeks.

Metal chasing

Chasing is the decorative working of metal, mainly copper and brass, with small hammers and chisels. The pattern is applied by hammering and cutting the design into the surface.

What is made:

• trays and plates (laganlar);
• jugs, teapots and kumgans;
• vases and caskets;
• decorative panels;
• jewellery.

Patterns are floral, geometric and calligraphic. The master carefully works out the design, and each piece is unique.

How to tell authored work from mass output

1. Look at the details. A good miniature has fine lines, crisp faces and neat outlines. Blurriness and carelessness are signs of mass-produced work.
2. Ask about technique and materials. The master will tell you what he painted on and with, and which pigments he used.
3. Notice the signature. Many artists sign their works.
4. Assess the chasing. On handwork the pattern is slightly uneven and tool marks are visible; on stamped pieces the design repeats perfectly.
5. Talk to the master. Those who create pieces are happy to show the process.
6. Compare several shops. Prices and quality differ noticeably.

How to choose a piece

• Decide what you want: wall decoration, a gift or a functional object.
• Look at the composition and overall impression, not only at the price.
• Check the paint: on a miniature it should be even, without cracks and stains.
• For chased items, check they are intact and free of dents.
• Ask about size and weight, especially if you plan to carry it in luggage.

Prices depend heavily on size, complexity and the master's name, so rely on your own perception and do not rush. Bargaining is polite and customary, but remember the labour.

Practical tips

• Come in the morning: fewer people and more chance to talk to the masters.
• Ask permission before photographing.
• Ask for packaging: miniatures are best carried flat, in a sturdy folder or tube.
• Bring cash: not everywhere accepts cards.
• Ask for a receipt or proof of purchase, especially for expensive items.

Gold embroidery

Alongside miniatures and chasing, Bukhara is famous for gold embroidery (zardozi): embroidery with gold and silver threads on velvet. It is used for bags, cushions, skullcaps and panels. It is one more reason to look into the workshops and watch the embroiderers at work.

Fitting it into your route

Allow two or three hours for the trading domes and workshops, or half a day if you want to talk to the masters. From Samarkand to Bukhara and back you can go in a shared ride: on Bukhara — Samarkand via Yo'ldosh you book a seat in advance and can warn the driver about purchases. All directions are collected on the all routes page.

Bottom line

Miniature painting and chasing are crafts in which patience and love of the work are visible. Take your time, look closely, ask questions and choose a piece you truly like.

Cover photo: w0zny, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.