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To: long-gone who wrote (59986)	10/20/2000 9:48:28 AM
From: Alex	Respond to of 116762

'Kremlin Gold' October 20, 2000 Nearly 120 masterpieces--including two imperial Faberge eggs--will be unveiled in "Kremlin Gold: 1,000 Years of Russian Gems and Jewels," opening Saturday at the Field Museum. Many of the precious metal objects have never been publicly displayed before. The pieces, both secular and sacred, represent major chapters in Russia's storied past, such as the introduction of Byzantine Christianity 1,000 years ago. Some of the pieces are from an incredible discovery made in 1822, when a farmer plowing his fields in Old Ryazan turned up a treasure trove of stunning pieces from the 12th and 13th centuries. They had been buried by princes amid the terror of warrior invasions. Apparently the princes had hoped to return and dig up their treasures someday. But there the gems stayed, undiscovered until 600 years later. Perhaps the most striking work in the exhibit is a life-size gold coffin cover and embossed effigy for the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, Tsarevich Dmitry. The boy was murdered in 1591--perhaps at the order of a rival for the throne. Dmitry was canonized in 1603. This piece "is almost everybody's favorite," said David Foster, the project administrator. The work, exhibited at a slight incline, is about 5 feet long and 30 inches wide. "The workmanship is breathtaking, the gold and the jewels. And the human image strikes a chord," he said. The finest artisans of Russia's leading jewelry workshops are represented in the exhibit. So is the work of foreign artisans, whose creations were offered as gifts to czars, princes and priests. In those days, boys ages 11-13 began learning trades, becoming apprentices, journeymen and then masters. "It would take 20 years to perfect the techniques," Foster said. "That's all they would do their whole lives." In Russian folk legends, gemstones bore magical powers. "Rubies were supposed to stop nightmares," Foster said. "Emeralds were supposed to make you wise, and sapphires were supposed to reveal liars." Foster noted that observant visitors will notice how some pieces, such as ladles or drinking cups, evolved over the centuries from utilitarian to extremely ornate. "The early ones were simple. They became so elaborate they were just for presentation, just ceremonial," he said. The treasures were drawn from Moscow's Kremlin Armory Palace Museum, and the exhibit was organized by the Field Museum in conjunction with the Houston Museum of Natural Science, which hosted the exhibit this spring and summer. Bill Cunniff *** `Kremlin Gold: 1,000 Years of Russian Gems and Jewels' * Opens Saturday, through March 30 * Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore * Tickets, $2.50-$6 * (312) 922-9410; (312) 902-1500 for advance tickets suntimes.com