Exhibition "Russian Ambassador to Korea: Karl Weber and his Collections"

The exhibition is dedicated to the diplomat, the first Russian chargé d'affaires of Korea Karl Ivanovich Weber (1841 - 1910), whose signature is on the first official agreements between Russia and Korea. The 12 years that Weber served in Seoul (from 1885 to 1897) is called a "period of unprecedented rapprochement" between countries. The difficult dramatic period in the history of Korea at the end of the 19th century is also known for the fact that in 1896-1897. King Gojong, since 1897 - the first emperor of Korea, fearing for his life, was forced to rule the country from the Russian mission in Seoul (1896–1897), under the protection of a Russian diplomat.

Active participation in the political life of Korea at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, warm friendly relations between Kojong and K. Weber allowed the Russian envoy to collect and then transfer unique exhibits to the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography. Among them are gifts presented to Weber by the wife of King Kojong, Queen Ming, who tragically died in 1895. These items were included in the collections of Karl Weber, now kept in the Kunstkamera, and which will be presented at the exhibition in the context of relations between Russia and Korea at the end of the 19th century.

The collections assembled by Karl Weber in Korea demonstrate his interest in ceramics, works of applied art, and everyday objects of Koreans. A special place in the collection is occupied by items that reflect the laconic grace of Korean palace culture. For example, a bowl engraved with lotus petals from the 11th century is a gift from Queen Ming; or an invitation to the palace chambers of King Kojong addressed to K.I. Weber and two Russian naval officers; or a fan-fan, decorated with the sign of the "great limit" - such fans were presented to royalty for the tano holiday. The exhibition will also feature photographs from the collection of K. Weber, capturing the panorama of Seoul in the 1890s, the construction of the building of the Russian Mission, everyday scenes on the streets of the city.