Tatar costume in museum collections of Russia

Abstract

The article is an overview of the collections on the folk costume of the Tatars, stored in the funds of numerous museums in Russia and Tatarstan. It contains information about the traditional types of upper and lower clothing, shoes and jewelry of the Volga-Ural Tatars (Kazan, Kasimov, Mishars, and Kryashens), as well as similar information on the costume of Astrakhan and Siberian Tatars living on the territory of the Russian Federation. Particular attention is paid to women's costume which characterizes folk arts and crafts to the greatest extent. A significant part of the collections is well passportised, indicating the region of existence, gender and age, and local terminology. The materials of the collections reflect the ethno-local and regional features of traditional clothing. On provision of firm attribution, museum objects have advantages over other historical sources. Artifacts from the early to mid–19th century and of the earlier period – medieval “imperishable” metal jewelry, leather goods, etc. are of particular value. They serve as a reliable illustration for the reconstruction of pre-national costume variations, which are extremely in demand in modern museum, theater, and ritual practices. When using the synchronous-diachronic methods of comparative historical analysis, museum artifacts considerably contribute to the study of the history of the Tatar costume, which largely reflects the ethno- and cultural genesis of the people as a whole.