Russian decorative and applied art of the 18th century. Applied arts

Already in the art of the 17th century, especially its second half, trends were observed that prepared the ground for the rapid development of secular realistic art of the 18th century. Iconographic convention gives way to life-like reproduction of people, landscapes and historical events. The traditional floral ornament, interpreted rather conventionally, is replaced by the reproduction of realistically rendered flowers, fruits, leaves, garlands and shells. On works of applied art, painting on religious subjects takes on an almost secular character, sometimes emphatically decorative and theatrical. The shapes of objects become magnificent, solemn, with a wide variety of decorations. Many ancient types of household items are disappearing, such as cups with flat shelves and handles, and silver coins. Traditional ancient ladles are turning into purely decorative reward items that have lost their practical meaning. New types of utensils appeared: cups decorated with baroque ornaments, everyday scenes and secular inscriptions, cups in the shape of an eagle, cups made of horn on stands and many others. Church utensils and household items of the clergy were now no different in style from purely secular things, and sometimes even surpassed them in greater pomp and material value.

After the secularization of the lands in 1764, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra lost its possessions, but its wealth by this time was so great that this reform did not affect the scope of construction work in the monastery, nor the rich decoration of church interiors, personal chambers of the governor and metropolitan who lived in the monastery, as well as from the wealth of its sacristy and treasury. The monastery continued to receive contributions from empresses and high court dignitaries, the Moscow Metropolitan and other clergy. As a rule, these were works made by the best masters of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Veliky Ustyug, Rostov-Yaroslavl and other centers of applied art. Therefore, the Lavra collection of applied art of the 18th century. represents the most diverse types of jewelry techniques of this time.

The art of silver coinage acquired a unique look, especially from the mid-18th century. These are mostly large baroque scrolls masterfully executed in rather high relief in combination with images of fruits, baskets of flowers, cupids, garlands of flowers and leaves. The embossing was often made openwork and in this case had an additional background that illuminated the pattern.

A classic example of such coinage is the massive setting of the Gospel made in Moscow in 1754, contributed by Empress Elizabeth1. Silver plates with painted enamel images of the Trinity, the Evangelists, and scenes from the life of Christ are placed in tall chased bezels and squares. They are distinguished by their secular character.

The Moscow master P. Vorobey made a silver bowl in 1768 (used in the monastery as a holy bowl). It is decorated with an excellent chased ornament of peculiar curled cartouches and wide leaves on a gilded background. The legs of the bowl are lion paws, holding smooth balls in their claws. A salt shaker made in 1787, decorated with embossing and niello, was made by a Moscow master, a gift from Catherine II to Metropolitan Plato3.

The new center of jewelry making - St. Petersburg - is represented in the museum's collection by a chased silver handpiece with a spout in the shape of an eagle's head, made in 1768 by master Claes Johann Ehlers4. The same master made a chased silver dish with a baroque ornament on the field and a depiction of a biblical scene: a whale washes up Jonah5. At the same time, the master depicted here the shore of St. Petersburg with the Peter and Paul Fortress and the spire of the cathedral. The hand and the dish are the contribution of Metropolitan Plato.

Objects for ritual purposes also acquired a secular, decorative character, and their solemnity was emphasized by their unprecedentedly large sizes. Typical for the 18th century. a set of liturgical vessels (chalice, paten, star and two plates) contributed in 1789 by A. V. Sheremetyev6. The tall communion bowl here has a large hammered bell-shaped base, an openwork silver casing on the body of the bowl and a bell with painted enamel. Large-diameter paten and plates, specially made for this chalice, are decorated with engravings depicting traditional iconographic scenes.

The art of filigree takes on a completely different character. Instead of a flat curl with branches curling on the smooth surface of the metal in ancient works, the filigree drawing of the 18th century. it is further complicated by additional decorations placed on top, sometimes in combination with enamel and precious stones. In some cases, the filigree is made openwork and superimposed on an additional background. Sometimes the item was made from filigree threads.

An outstanding piece of filigree work is the tabernacle of 1789, contributed by Metropolitan Plato7. Here are openwork filigree, filigree combined with enamel, and filigree superimposed on a smooth silver background. The tabernacle has the appearance of a secular box, as evidenced by its completely non-ecclesiastical shape, elegant decoration and flowers planted in the corners made of thin metal parts with enamel.

An example of skillful relief filigree can be the cover of the book “Officer of the Bishop's Service”, also the contribution of Metropolitan Platon in 17898.

Great development was achieved in the 18th century. Solvychegodsk and Veliky Ustyug enamels with their single-color (blue or white) background, on which human figures, flowers and other images, sometimes additionally colored with enamels, are superimposed in the form of separate metal plates. The museum has a large collection of household items from Solvychegodsk and Ustyug.

In the 18th century For the interior of the Lavra churches, monumental structures were made from silver according to drawings by famous artists of Moscow and St. Petersburg. For the altar of the Trinity Cathedral, by order of Metropolitan Plato, a large silver seven-candlestick in the shape of a laurel tree was made9; the tiblas of the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral were also decorated with silver. The Moscow master David Prif made a silver canopy over the shrine of Sergius of Radonezh from a Caravacca design (commissioned by Emperor Anna Ivanovna10). Thus, the applied art of the 18th century. represented in the museum's collection by the most characteristic works.

The works of artistic craft in the museum's collection make it possible to trace its development from the early monuments of grand ducal Moscow to the end of the 18th century. Over the course of this long period, technical skill changed and improved, old forms of objects disappeared and new forms appeared, the nature of decoration changed, always depending on aesthetic views determined by the socio-economic and political conditions of the time, the development of the domestic and foreign markets, the scale and method of production.

On works of the XIV-XV centuries. the picture of the gradual revival of artistic crafts after the Tatar-Mongol devastation of the Russian land in the 13th century is revealed. Masters from Moscow and other art centers of Ancient Rus' master various artistic techniques and improve their craftsmanship.

In the 16th century Moscow is finally gaining a leading place in the cultural life of the country. The applied arts of this period are distinguished by a variety of forms and artistic decorations, as well as great technical skill. The complex art of enamel, which has taken on a mainly ornamental character, is being improved, and the art of gold niello, embossing and engraving is achieving greater mastery.

Works made of silver for household and church purposes follow the traditions of folk art and are associated with the living conditions of the people, their rituals and way of life.

The colorfulness and decorativeness of 17th-century products, the complexity of ornaments, the appearance of painted enamels, and the use of large quantities of precious stones, pearls and colored glass give a more secular character to applied art.

In the 18th century new forms of objects, realistic patterns and enamel painting were adopted. In the collection of the Zagorsk Museum, this period is represented by the best workshops of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Their works make it possible to judge the new changes taking place in the applied arts.

The high artistic mastery of works of applied art, presented over more than five centuries, places the collection of the Zagorsk Museum in a prominent place in the history of Russian artistic culture

Reflection of the turning point of the Peter the Great era in decorative and applied arts. Western European artistic influences (Holland, England, France, Italy). The processes of the formation of the class system and the strengthening of secular culture and their influence on the development of decorative and applied arts. The multi-layered nature of decorative and applied art, the uneven development of its individual spheres. Preservation and development of traditional trends (provincial and folk culture, church art).

Improving the technology of handicraft and manufacturing production. The emergence of the artistic industry (production of tapestries, art glass, faience, stone cutting, silk and cloth production). Manufacture of fashionable items and luxury goods. Discovery and development of deposits of copper, tin, silver, colored stone, high-quality clays.

The role of the Academy of Sciences in the “prosperity of free arts and manufactories”, a reflection of new natural science and technical interests in the decorative and applied arts. New forms of education and training of craftsmen at art factories. Closing of the Armory Chamber workshops. Pensioners and its role in the development of certain types of decorative and applied arts. The emergence of guild organizations of artisans in Russia. Work of foreign masters in various fields of decorative and applied arts.

Artistic style in decorative and applied arts. Fashion, its impact on changing tastes, changing the subject environment. The emergence of new types of objects, renewal of aesthetic ideas in decorative and applied arts. Trends in the synthesis of arts. The role of architecture, monumental art, graphics and illustrated publications in the development of decorative and applied arts. Decorative trends of Baroque culture in the design of festivals, triumphal gate complexes, and gardening art.

The art of interior design as a special type of artistic activity in the work of architects of the first quarter of the 18th century. The first interior works and the main stylistic trends (Baroque, Rococo, Classicism). New types of premises (offices, state bedrooms, living rooms, “turning rooms”, “picture halls”) and their subject content (Summer Palace, A.D. Menshikov Palace, Great Peterhof Palace, Monplaisir). Works by French masters. "Chinoiserie" in the interiors of the Peter the Great era.

Ensemble solution of the subject environment. The emergence of project activities in the field of material culture and decorative and applied arts.

Development of furniture business. New types and forms of furniture, materials and methods of decoration. Influence of English and Dutch furniture. Baroque and Rococo in furniture.

Wood carving, its role in the interior. Carved reliefs. Iconostasis of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Ship carving and carriage making.

Silversmithing. Preservation of traditions of the 17th century. Creation of workshops for gold and silversmiths. Jewelry Art. Portrait miniature on enamel. Order badges and “granted” persons. The first masters of miniature painting were Grigory Musikiysky and Andrey Ovsov.

Ceramics and faience from the Peter the Great era. Dutch tiles in the interior. Expanding the import of earthenware from England and Holland. The first private manufactory of A. Grebenshchikov in Moscow, the emergence of domestic fine earthenware.

Increasing glass consumption, establishing glass factories in Yamburg and Zhabino near St. Petersburg. Mirrors and lighting fixtures. Formation of the style of ceremonial palace dishes with matte engraving. The first private glass and crystal factory of Maltsov in Mozhaisk district.

Stone carving and gem cutting. Founding of the first cutting factories in Peterhof and Yekaterinburg. Bone carving. Basic carving techniques, stylistic devices. Traditions of Kholmogory. The appearance of lathes, changes in product shapes. Petrovskaya Turning and A. Nartov. The influence of engraving and illustrated books on bone carving. Founding of the Tula Arms Factory, development of the art of artistic processing of steel in decorative products.

Typology of costume. Changing a medieval dress to a European-style suit. Peter's establishment of rules for wearing and types of noble dress. Introduction of statutory clothing and uniforms for the army and navy, for officials. The emergence of new manufactories in connection with changes in costume. Replacing oriental fabrics with Western European ones. Samples of men's suits from the wardrobe of Peter I.

Foundation of the St. Petersburg Trellis Manufactory. Training of Russian masters.

Decorative and applied art of the era of Anna Ioannovna. Artistic silver. Foundation of a state-owned glass factory on Fontanka in St. Petersburg. Activities of the trellis manufactory. Style of trellises and use in the interior. L. Caravaque and his projects in the field of decorative arts.

Revival in artistic culture during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. Predominance of French influences. Baroque and Rococo in Russian art. Rococo in interior design, costume, jewelry, landscape art. Synthesis of architecture and decorative arts in Baroque and Rococo interiors. Works by V.V. Rastrelli and A. Rinaldi in the field of interior design. Decorative materials and interior finishing techniques. Types of Baroque and Rococo furniture. Fabrics in the interior. Lighting. Ensemble in various types of decorative and applied art of the middle and second half of the century.

Silversmithing. Approval of Baroque style. Monumental and decorative works. Large ceremonial services. Changing the shapes of objects, new types of dishes for new products. Jewelry Art. Activities of court craftsmen. Rococo style in jewelry. Types of women's jewelry. Colored stone in jewelry.

The suit, its image, type of cut, materials, accessories, character of decoration. French fashion influence. Baroque and Rococo in women's and men's costume.

Invention of domestic porcelain. Foundation of a porcelain manufactory in St. Petersburg. The activities of D.I. Vinogradov and the “Vinogradov” period of development of Russian porcelain. The first palace services, vases, small plastic items. Creation of a state-owned faience factory in St. Petersburg.

Engraved Elizabethan glass. Activities of the St. Petersburg State Glass Factory and the plant on the river. Nazier. Baroque and Rococo in art glass. Glass in the decoration of palace interiors by V.V. Rastrelli. Private factories of the Nemchinovs and Maltsovs. M.V. Lomonosov's experiments in the field of colored glass, the beginning of its production at the Ust-Ruditsk factory.

Bone carving. Rococo style, the work of carver Osip Dudin.

Decorative and applied art of the second half of the 18th century.

Classicism in decorative and applied arts 1760–1790. A combination of Rococo style with antique motifs. The role of architects in the decorative and applied arts of the era of classicism. Training of masters of decorative and applied arts at the Academy of Arts.

Interior of early classicism. Materials and forms, color, sculptural decoration, reduction in the cost of decorative finishing. Interior works by Charles Cameron. A range of decorative techniques, new materials, image of premises and ensemble. Interiors by V. Brenna.

Classicism furniture, character, forms, influences. Antique prototypes. New types of furniture. Participation of architects in the development of furniture art in Russia (Brenna, Lvov, Cameron, Voronikhin). Furniture by D. Roentgen in Russia. Workshop of G. Gambs and I. Ott. Jacob style in Russian furniture. Change of materials in furniture art (mahogany, gilded wood, poplar, Karelian birch). Fabric and embroidery in furniture.

Spol's workshop in Moscow. Carved decor in the interiors of M. Kazakov. Carved furniture of the Ostankino Palace. The flourishing of typesetting techniques in Russian furniture of the second half of the century, methods of execution and materials. Furniture production at Okhta in St. Petersburg. Papier-mâché as a material for furniture and decorative art.

Russian and French artistic bronze. Main types of products and decorative techniques. Bronze and glass in lighting fixtures. Bronze in the decoration of stone and porcelain vases and furniture. Activities of the Foundry House. Foreign bronzesmiths in St. Petersburg (P. Azhi, I. Tsekh, etc.).

Costume. Changing types and silhouettes of clothing in the 1770-1780s. Introduction of uniform noble dress. Ceremonial court dress, the use of stylized national forms. "Greek style" of the 1790s in costume and hairstyles. A radical change in the design of the suit. Fashion for shawls, scarves, capes, mantillas, shawls.

Jewelry Art. Activities of I. Pozier, Dubulon, J. Adora, I.G. Sharf, I.V. Bukh, Duval brothers. Large imperial crown. Court diamond workshop. Artistic silver. Influence of French Louis XVI style silver. The art of niello on silver. The increasing role of northern jewelry centers - Vologda, Veliky Ustyug. Factory of black and enamel products of the Popov brothers in Veliky Ustyug. Enamel with silver overlays.

Porcelain, manufacturing and decoration techniques. Imperial Porcelain Factory. Early classicism in the forms and decoration of products. Influence of European porcelain and earthenware. Activities of J.-D. Rashetta. Contacts of the IPE with the Academy of Arts. Decorative vases and palace services in the interior of the Classical era. Large ceremonial services, their composition, the nature of their design. Search for appropriate forms of objects and methods of decorating products. Porcelain sculpture (series of figures “Peoples of Russia”, “Traders and peddlers”). Genre drawing and engraving in porcelain sculpture and porcelain painting. Biscuit products. "Pavlovsk" porcelain from the late 1790s.

F. Gardner's factory in Verbilki. Order services.

Art glass. G. Potemkin's plant in Ozerki. Colored glass and crystal. Glass in the interiors of Charles Cameron. The Imperial Glass Factory in the 1790s. Connection between the products of the imperial porcelain and glass factories. Bakhmetev plant in Penza province. The heyday of glass painting in the 1780-90s. Gothic motifs in art glass.

Activities of the trellis manufactory. The connection between tapestries and the general direction in Russian painting (historical theme, allegory, portrait in a tapestries). The transition from Rococo to Classicism. Trellis in interior design.

Stone carving. The role of Charles Cameron in the development of the culture of colored stone and its use in the interior. New techniques for using stone, “Russian mosaic”. Activities of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory. Discovery of new deposits of colored stone in the Urals and Altai. Ekaterinburg factory and Kolyvan plant. Invention of machines for processing stone. Vases based on drawings by A. Voronikhin and D. Quarenghi.

The heyday of Tula steel (furniture and decorative items). Noble and merchant factories. Factory of lacquer miniatures P.I. Korobova. The emergence of crafts in artistic manufactories. Development of artistic crafts in the second half of the 18th century: Khokhloma painting, lace weaving, patterned weaving, carpet weaving, artistic metal, etc.

Updated exhibition

“Decorative and applied art of Russia in the 18th - first third of the 19th centuries”

As part of the celebration of its 35th anniversary, the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts opened an updated permanent exhibition “Decorative and Applied Art of Russia in the 18th - First Third of the 19th Century.”

“Peter the Great challenged Russia, and she answered him with Pushkin,” is the catchphrase of A.N. Herzen most accurately defines the meaning and boundaries of the era to which the exhibition of these halls is dedicated. The objects presented here are living milestones that marked the formation and flourishing of Russian culture in the bosom of the European cultural tradition of the New Age. They capture changes in the way of life and artistic guidelines, the transformation of old and the emergence of new subject forms, techniques and even types of decorative and applied art.

The design of the new exhibition is based on the principle of demonstrating exhibits as unique artistic objects, which are combined into thematic, stylistic and typological blocks. This solution makes it possible to evaluate the significance of each item from the point of view of time, style, the development of a particular type of decorative and applied art, and focuses attention on its artistic intrinsic value.

The inspection scenario is built on the basis of the spatial solution of the exhibition, not only meaningfully (in terms of typology, theme, style and chronology), but also visually - from the time of Peter the Great to Biedermeier.

The central themes of the new exhibition are: “The Age of Change: the turn of the 17th-18th centuries,” which includes the so-called “primitives of the 18th century,” which translated the realities of modern times in the forms of traditional art; “Classics of the Russian 18th century”, representing the era from Peter to Paul in high examples of court art, as well as “Russian Empire” and “In the rooms”, demonstrating two facets of Russian culture of the first third of the 19th century - the brilliant imperial style and the formation of a culture of private life, correlated with the phenomenon of the German Biedermeier. At the same time, the exhibition allows you to view the works in the usual row - by type of art, highlighting furniture, artistic metal, glass, porcelain, ceramics, stone-cutting art, bone and beads.

Unique church items such as the Reliquary Cross and Panagia, which date back to the 17th century, deserve special attention. They were made using a technique that was expensive at that time - filigree enamel. Among the earliest exhibits are chests with metal frames and decorative trim, inkwells, and Ural brass utensils of the 17th - early 18th centuries. A striking example of ceremonial representative metal tableware for table setting are the brass mugs from the Demidov plant in the Urals.

Table serving items and tray items were then made using different techniques. For example, two glass, dark blue goblets with the monograms “EML” and “WGS”, produced by the Imperial Glass Factory, are a rare example of painted products from the late 18th - early 19th centuries. The Latin monograms on the cups belong to the Swedish envoy to Russia in 1793, Werner Gottlob von Schwenir - "WGS" - and his mother Ebbe Maria Lagerbring - "EML". The cups were kept for more than two centuries in Skarhult Castle, Skåne (Sweden), being a family treasure.

In the exhibition you can see unique examples of Russian palace furniture of the 18th-19th centuries, among which the chess and card tables made using the marquetry technique are of particular interest. Among the exhibits of furniture typical of the first half of the 19th century, noteworthy are two cabinets of rare quality in the Jacobean style. Two chairs designed by Osip Ivanovich Bove also belong to the same time. Of interest are also the mantel clock “Minin and Pozharsky” made by the Parisian bronzer Pierre-Philippe Thomire and, reproducing in an interior format, the famous monument to Ivan Martos standing on Red Square.

A special place in the exhibition is occupied by the tapestry “The Rescue of Fishermen”, which was made in Flanders in an unknown workshop in the second half of the 17th - early 18th centuries. She entered the VMDPNI in 1999 with the collection of the Museum of Folk Art named after. S.T. Morozova. The theme of the tapestry is borrowed from the Bible: in the center of the composition one of the miracles is depicted - “Walking on the Waters”. The trellis was restored in several stages - it was partially restored by specialists from the Museum of Folk Art. S.T. Morozov, and already in 2014, a complete restoration was completed by specialist restorers of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts. Thus, the trellis has found a new life and will be presented at the exhibition for the first time.

The corresponding thematic sections present lighting fixtures made of glass and crystal, interior items made of porcelain and bronze from the late 18th-19th centuries. Each exhibit is a reference example of a particular style, capturing the spirit of its time and representing the possibilities of artistic and technical skill.

Such a spatial solution for the exhibition allows the museum to organize excursions and special programs in the most effective and interesting way. The most interesting and significant exhibits will be presented with extended annotations, as well as support with QR codes, thanks to which visitors will be able to obtain more detailed information. The exposition is equipped with a modern lighting equipment system. Thanks to its high interactivity, the new exhibition promises to be more lively and interesting, as well as to promote creative dialogue with visitors, especially with children and youth.

Wedding chest. Italy. 17th century

Sculptural group "Winter". From the series "Four Seasons". Germany. Meissen

Service items. France. Sever. 1780-1784. Soft porcelain, painting. Freezer

Hall of French art of the 18th-19th centuries

Cabinet. Augsburg. 17th century Wood, carving, white metal, gilding, 196x135x61

Bureau-cylinder. Russia. End of the 18th century.

Vase. Russia. First quarter of the 19th century. Glass, gold painting. Height 35.5

Freezer. Russia. Imperial Porcelain Factory. First quarter of the 19th century. Porcelain, painting. Height 40

Collections of decorative and applied art are also associated with the name of A.P. Bogolyubov, who donated 40 pieces of old porcelain, mostly Saxon, at the opening of the museum. Various utensils and furniture then numbered 92 items. In 1897, after Bogolyubov’s death, another group of things was received in his will, including furniture, glass, bronze, and silverware.

The Bogolyubov collections, in particular porcelain, were significantly replenished in the first post-revolutionary years from the State Museum Fund, which received all nationalized works of art. In 1970, the museum received samples of Russian and Western European porcelain (more than 300 items), bequeathed by O. A. Gordeeva, a famous Saratov ophthalmologist.

The history of this subtle and exquisite art goes back centuries. Porcelain originated at the turn of the 7th-8th centuries in China. In Europe they learned about it in the 13th century. The famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo brought several porcelain vessels from the East. Europe was gripped by a “porcelain fever”; everyone wanted to have products made from this white shiny material, painted with bright, unfading colors. There is information that when things made of porcelain were broken, they continued to be stored anyway; often the shards were set in precious metals and worn as jewelry. Porcelain was valued not only for its beauty, but also for its hitherto unseen properties. The glazed surface of porcelain was not exposed to chemical influences and was impenetrable. Legends arose about porcelain. The secret of its production could not be unraveled until the beginning of the 18th century. But along the way, many new materials were discovered that were similar in appearance to the products of Chinese craftsmen. This is how milk glass appeared in Venice, Spanish-Moorish ceramics, and faience in England and Holland.

The first in Europe to obtain porcelain was I.F. Betger, who found deposits of white clay (kaolin) near Meissen in Saxony. The secret of porcelain production, which Europe had been struggling with for centuries, was discovered. Soon the porcelain of the Meissen manufactory became known throughout Europe. And now the products of this plant are popular among art lovers.

In the collection of our museum, Meissen porcelain is presented very well and completely. This includes items bequeathed by Bogolyubov and porcelain items from the collection of O. A. Gordeeva, as well as other exhibits.

Of greatest interest is Meissen porcelain from the 18th century. This era is considered the classical period in the development of European porcelain. At this time, the master strives to emphasize the whiteness and fineness of the porcelain, serving the material taking into account its natural properties.

Meissen - the first European porcelain production - is especially famous for its small plastic pieces. In the images of ladies, gentlemen, allegorical compositions and pastorals, one of the qualities of the Rococo style was manifested with particular force - the illusion of a continuous smooth flow of line. The names of Johann Joachim Kaendler and Peter Reinicke are associated with the development of Meissen plastic art. Their works combined elements of sculpture and decorative and applied art itself. The whimsicality of contours and the beauty of color are what characterize the sculptures made from their models.

Two allegorical figures from the series “Four Seasons” - “Winter” and “Spring”, made according to models by Johann Joachim Kaendler, reveal the characteristic features of the Rococo style in porcelain. The seasons are represented in the images of ancient gods sitting on clouds. Winter is personified by Saturn and Hebe, spring by Mars and Flora. The sculptural groups are decorated with finely crafted molded flowers painted with bright colors, for which the Meissen factory was famous in the 18th century.

High artistic quality distinguishes the small collection of products from the Berlin plant. These are mainly items for table setting and interior decoration. The “carriage cup” is painted based on A. Watteau’s motifs in the most delicate purple, which was the glory of this production. The bodies of teapots, coffee pots, and decorative vases are decorated with pastorals and floral patterns, which were popular in the 18th century.

The group of items from the Vienna factory is represented by the 18th - early 19th centuries, when European porcelain developed the features of a new style - Empire style. Taking care of increased decorativeness, Viennese masters gave their own version of painting. Copies of paintings by Renaissance masters were most often placed in the mirror of the plates in a rich gold ornamental frame.

Each country followed its own path to porcelain, developing both a special technology and a special character of ornamentation, sometimes within the same style. Throughout Europe, French dishes with colored backgrounds were famous: turquoise, pink, blue, painted in medallions framed with gilded ornaments. Such porcelain was made at the Sevres manufactory, the main porcelain production in France.

This is exactly how the blue ice cream maker, tray and spice utensil that were part of the service that belonged to Prince Yusupov are painted. This service took many years to produce and was decorated by major porcelain painters. The ice cream maker was painted by Vincent Jr., the author of the painting on the famous cameo service, commissioned by Catherine II of Sèvres and now kept in the Hermitage. Yusupov's service was made of "soft porcelain". And the specific properties of this material could not have been more consistent with the Rococo style with its usual soft contours and wavy lines. The peculiarities of the Sevres mass also determined the nature of the painting: no other ceramic material produces such ringing, deep tones with many shades.

In Russia, porcelain was first produced in the mid-18th century by D.I. Vinogradov at the Imperial Porcelain Factory (IFZ) in St. Petersburg. In the museum's collection, Russian porcelain is represented by products from numerous private enterprises. The museum can be proud of the magnificent examples of IPP, Gardner, Popov, Kornilov, Gulin, Safronov factories, which have their own unique charm.

The achievements of Russian masters in the style of classicism of the early 19th century, or Empire style, are well known. Russian porcelain within this style, as well as other branches of applied art, provides excellent examples.

Empire style was inspired by antiquity. The decorative motifs are dominated by laurel wreaths, lions, griffins, military attributes, etc. The forms reveal the solidity of the masses and their static nature. According to the laws of this style, a table decoration vase in the form of two classical figures supporting an oval-shaped bowl was made by the IFZ craftsmen. The white color of the figures made from bisque (unglazed porcelain) is contrasted by the blue tone and gilding of the base. The Empire style’s love for brightness and color contrast is evident. Another vase is also a sculptural group: Venus puts a quiver of arrows on Cupid. Such vases were made for large ceremonial or anniversary sets and placed in the center of the ceremonial table.

Features of the same style are clear in the ice cream maker on three lion paws, dark in color, looking like old bronze. Its color blended beautifully with the shine of the gilding.

The products of private factories are more original. You can talk about priestly, Gardner or Safronov porcelain. These factories are represented by objects that are not unique, unlike IFZ, but by so-called ordinary utensils associated with the life of a particular class. It is easy to guess the social affiliation of the so-called “tavern” brightly decorated teapots, decorated with simple floral paintings, created at the Popov factory in the 1830-1850s.

The source from which the craftsmen drew the forms of dishes and painting motifs is traditional Russian folk art. This path will be the most fruitful at the time of the impending interstyle; it will largely protect Russian private factories in this difficult time from the loss of “ceramic”, inevitable in the era of eclecticism. In the coffee pot of the Kornilov factory, painted on a white background with small gold leaves and roses, in bright In the green cups made by the craftsmen of the priest's factory, the main thing was not lost: the balance of form and functional purpose of the object.

The collection of Soviet porcelain is relatively small. It is represented by propaganda porcelain, which in the 20s was one of the means of revolutionary propaganda.

Dish and cups painted according to drawings by S. Chekhonin and N. Altman, sculptures by N. Danko, plates by A. Shchekatikhina-Pototskaya with revolutionary slogans and emblems of the young Soviet state - this first porcelain of the Land of the Soviets spoke the language of its time. It was exhibited in special showcases in Moscow on Kuznetsky Most and in Petrograd on Nevsky. “This porcelain was news from a wonderful future, for which the Soviet country fought in terrible battles with hunger, devastation, and intervention,” wrote E.Ya. Danko, an artist and historiographer at the Lomonosov Factory (formerly the Imperial Porcelain Factory), in her memoirs.

Glassware stored in the A.N. Radishchev Museum came in the same way as porcelain: in 1897, according to the will of A.P. Bogolyubov, through the State Museum Fund, from private collections.

A small but interesting collection of Russian glass from the late 18th - early 19th centuries was bequeathed to the museum by E.P. Razumova in 1973.

Russian glass factories, public and private, appeared at the beginning of the 18th century in Moscow and St. Petersburg, near Smolensk and Kaluga. The demand for glass objects is growing. The number of factories is also growing. The famous Maltsev plant appeared on the Gus River near Vladimir, and the Bakhmetyev plant near Penza in the village of Nikolskoye.

The earliest works of the 18th century glass industry in our collection are products from private factories. This is, first of all, a green glass damask with a simple floral ornament and the inscription: “This vessel was made in the Gavril factory in 726...” This is an early example of Russian ordinary tableware, which was made in large quantities; it was not spared or taken care of. Instead of the lost and broken one, they bought a new one. Therefore, few such dishes have survived. Shtof is also interesting because it is a signature item. It indicates the date and place of manufacture. It is known that in 1724 the plant of Gavrilov and Loginov was founded in the Moscow district. There is no further information about this production. Our damask gives an idea of the nature of the products of a little-known company.

Glass in Russia was practically not marked. Only starting from the 20s of the 19th century (from the era of Nicholas I) the Imperial Glass Factory began to put stamps on its products. The presence of a brand, of course, is not the only way to determine the place and time of manufacture of a particular item. Remarkable monuments of glassmaking are the goblets of the 18th century, tall, conical in shape, often with lids, decorated with carved coats of arms of the reigning persons or monograms. Benzels were framed with plant shoots and curls, which were called “rocaille”. Along the top of the cups, near the rim, there is a pattern of engraved and polished “pits” with arms. The leg posts were made in the form of a baluster with “apples”, which were sometimes strung on the post up to five pieces. The engraving in these items was shallow and sweeping. These qualities distinguish Russian cups from the cups of Bohemia and Germany kept in the museum.

Apparently, numerous colored glasses, decanters, and bottles were produced in private factories. Colored glass was very popular in Russia. Unlike Western Europe, dishes were made here from solid colored glass, which appeared in large quantities in the middle of the 18th century. This is due to the successful experiments of M. Lomonosov.

At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, tall faceted decanters with stoppers of various shapes, glasses raised on thin legs, elegant glasses with sparkling edges appeared - elegant dishes that were used to decorate festive tables and supplies. Faceted dishes are made from colorless glass with the addition of lead, which gives it a special shine. It is called crystal and is cut with the so-called “diamond edge”. This technique is still used in glassmaking.

The second half of the 19th century was a time of heightened interest in decorative and applied arts, especially in its history. Collecting antiques is becoming widespread. It is no coincidence that there was an increased interest in antique furniture at the same time. Collectors collect carved gilded furniture from the 18th century, inlaid chests of drawers, cabinets, Italian and German wedding chests, and massive oak and walnut cabinets from Germany from the 17th century. There were similar items in Bogolyubov’s collection.

The craze for antique furniture gives rise to fakes that flood antique stores. One after another, workshops are being created in Paris, Venice, St. Petersburg, producing antique furniture, sometimes indistinguishable from the original - the wood is so smoothly polished, the proportions of its structural parts are so faithfully observed.

The earliest furniture in the museum collection dates back to the 16th-17th centuries. This is furniture from Germany, France, Italy, Holland, collected by A.P. Bogolyubov. Of course, our collection of furniture from that time does not give reason to talk about the existing interior, but it allows us to present the national characteristics of works of furniture art from different countries within a fairly broad chronological framework.

Furniture is not durable; the material for its production is wood, which is easily exposed to a variety of influences. A lot of them died both from natural disasters or as a result of wars, and for reasons related to the influence of fashion. Furniture is a consumer item. This means that over time it wears out and has to be replaced with a new one. Little furniture from the homes of ordinary people has survived. Nevertheless, the main stages in the history of furniture art in some European countries can be traced in the objects of our collection.

In Italy of the 16th century, a chair made of solid wood with a carved back, a wedding chest, a Venetian workmanship, and an altar were made. To make this furniture, brown walnut was used, a material characteristic of Italy, which allows the craftsman to achieve great artistic effect. The carving motifs were drawn from the heritage of ancient art. In the wedding chest, obviously of Florentine work, one is surprised by the rare unity of form and ornament, which distinguished the Italian furniture makers of the 16th - early 17th centuries.

Furniture of this era in its constructive logic is similar to architectural structures. The altar is designed in the form of a portal with columns entwined with vines, with a podium in a niche for the figure of the Mother of God - these architectural elements are extremely characteristic of furniture of the 16th-17th centuries. This is especially felt in cabinet furniture made in the south of Germany. The closet turns into something like a two-story building, each floor-tier of which is separated by a cornice. The tiers are decorated with columns or pilasters. The cabinet doors resemble portals or windows topped with platbands or pediments. All these architectural details are strengthened with glue and are, in fact, decoration that hides the structure of the cabinet, made up of two chests. This impression is reinforced by the folding chest handles on its side facades. This is exactly how the cabinet is designed, decorated with burl (a growth on the wood, a defect in the wood that gives a rich, beautiful texture). Wardrobes were necessarily equipped with shelves, and clothes were stored folded in them. They could also serve to store various utensils.

The shape of a folding chair, the so-called curule chair, can also be considered traditional for Germany in the 16th-17th centuries. For the ancients it was a symbol of power. Only sitting on such a chair could justice and reprisals be carried out. Such a chair was usually worn by consuls, senior military leaders, and dictators. Smoothly curved legs-stands, made of several narrow planks, are crossed and connected by crossbars for strength, and a removable board inserted into the upper part of the chair as a spacer makes up the backrest.

Since the 16th century, a unique form of chair appeared in Germany, which became widespread in the furniture art of this country in the 17th century - the so-called peasant chair. Our museum also has a whole series of similar products with different versions of the same ornament. The prototype of such a chair was at first simply a tree stump, cleared of branches and strengthened for stability on three legs. And for comfortable urban dwellings, chairs with four legs were made - examples of high craftsmanship. Only the board that serves as the back is decorated. It can be made not only from walnut, but from oak and pine. It depends on where the item was made. In carving, as a rule, grotesque ornamental motifs are used, which, with the imagination of the master, are often transformed into a fairy-tale pattern.

The 17th century brings a lot of new things to the art of furniture. This is primarily due to social transformations in Europe, which led to a change in the position of the third estate. Having come to power, it cultivates modesty, simplicity, and the sanctity of the family hearth. Dutch furniture is in great demand and is exported to all countries. At the other pole is France, in whose art a magnificent, solemn style triumphs.

In our furniture collection there is only one piece that is typical of a palace ceremonial setting of the 17th century. This is the so-called cabinet - a cabinet with many drawers, compartments, and a pull-out board. It was made by craftsmen from the city of Augsburg, decorated on the facade with metal overlays with images of animals and twisted gilded columns. The board is made of valuable wood.

Such offices appeared in the 16th century. Their homeland is Spain. The first cabinets were caskets on a base. In the 17th century, these were already large cabinets, which became part of the decoration of the room, called the cabinet. Medals, letters, and jewelry were stored in cabinets.

Most of the collection of Russian furniture, which includes works of the 18th-19th centuries, was made either in small private workshops or by furniture makers of noble estates. The craftsmen introduced various artistic tastes into their works, all the knowledge and skills they had accumulated, wood processing techniques, finishing and decoration. They were reflected primarily in the forms of household furniture of that time, which were greatly influenced by folk art. This was manifested not only in forms and decor, but in the choice and processing of wood. Already at the end of the 18th century, Karelian birch and poplar became the favorite materials. They are used only in Russia.

Each country in the art of furniture was either the ancestor of a certain style, such as Italy during the Renaissance, or the birthplace of a famous furniture maker, such as T. Chippendale in England or J. Jacob in France.

Russian furniture is represented mainly by furnishings of the noble interior of the first third of the 19th century. This was one of the most brilliant eras in the history of decorative and applied art in Russia, and furniture in particular. The art of the first decades of the 19th century was dominated by the Empire style, which originated in France and became the property of all of Europe. Russia gives its own special, original version of this style, where it has become an exponent of high and progressive ideas. The decorativeness characteristic of the Empire style, the desire for monumentality and generalization of forms determined the choice of material in furniture and the nature of its interaction with form and decor. The main materials used by Russian furniture makers will be mahogany and Karelian birch, which they loved for their beautiful wood texture.

The furniture stored in our museum was mainly made by the hands of serf craftsmen and represents that version of the Empire style that was widely used in the life of the Russian nobility. It is simpler than palace furniture. This furniture came to the museum after the Great October Socialist Revolution from surrounding estates and city houses and has not only artistic, but also historical value.

The seating furniture is especially varied. Two paired armchairs with openwork carved backs decorated with gilded lyres are an example of Russian household furniture of the first quarter of the 19th century. There are forms almost devoid of decoration, veneered with golden-colored Karelian birch with black eyes.

At this time, another room appeared in the interior of the noble estate, the so-called sofa room, and its indispensable accessory was the sofa. Usually these are soft, rectangular sofas, the tops of the backs and elbows are veneered with Karelian birch or mahogany, which became widespread in those years. In the interior, the sofa was combined with armchairs and a pre-sofa table. Such variations are also found in our exhibition and indicate the already established interior in the Empire era. This furniture differs from the front furniture: there is less gilding, instead of bronze, wood is used, gilded on gesso, and one of the traditional methods of wood processing, so beloved by Russian craftsmen, is preserved - carving.

The museum's collecting activities continue. In recent years, the collections of decorative and applied art have been replenished with interesting exhibits, the best of which have found their place in the exhibition.

As part of the celebration of its 35th anniversary, the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art is opening an updated permanent exhibition “Decorative and Applied Art of Russia in the 18th – First Third of the 19th Century.”

“Peter the Great challenged Russia, and she answered him with Pushkin,” - the catchphrase of A. N. Herzen most accurately defines the meaning and boundaries of the era to which the exhibition of these halls is dedicated. The objects presented here are living milestones that marked the formation and flourishing of Russian culture in the bosom of the European cultural tradition of the New Age. They capture changes in the way of life and artistic guidelines, the transformation of old and the emergence of new subject forms, techniques and even types of decorative and applied art.

Terrina (tureen) with lid 1795

The central themes of the new exhibition are: “The Age of Change: the turn of the 17th – 18th centuries,” which includes the so-called “primitives of the 18th century,” which translated the realities of modern times in the forms of traditional art; “Classics of the Russian 18th Century”, representing the era from Peter to Paul in high examples of court art, as well as “Russian Empire” and “In the Rooms”, demonstrating two facets of Russian culture of the first third of the 19th century - the brilliant imperial style and the emergence of a culture of private life, correlated with the phenomenon of the German Biedermeier. At the same time, the exhibition allows you to view the works in the usual row - by type of art, highlighting furniture, artistic metal, glass, porcelain, ceramics, stone-cutting art, bone and beads.

Unique church items such as the Reliquary Cross and Panagia, which date back to the 17th century, deserve special attention. They were made using a technique that was expensive at that time – filigree enamel. Among the earliest exhibits are chests with metal frames and decorative trim, inkwells, and Ural brass utensils from the 17th – early 18th centuries. A striking example of ceremonial representative metal tableware for table setting are the brass mugs from the Demidov plant in the Urals.

Table serving items and tray items were then made using different techniques. For example, two dark blue glass goblets with the monograms “EML” and “WGS”, produced by the Imperial Glass Factory, are a rare example of painted items from the late 18th – early 19th centuries. The Latin monograms on the cups belong to the Swedish envoy to Russia in 1793, Werner Gottlob von Schwenir - “WGS” - and his mother Ebbe Maria Lagerbring - “EML”. The cups were kept for more than two centuries in Skarhult Castle, Skåne (Sweden), being a family treasure.

The exhibition will feature unique examples of Russian palace furniture from the 18th-19th centuries, among which the chess and card tables made using the marquetry technique are of particular interest. Among the exhibits of furniture typical of the first half of the 19th century, noteworthy are two cabinets of rare quality in the Jacobean style. Two chairs designed by Osip Ivanovich Bove also belong to the same time. Of interest are also the mantel clock “Minin and Pozharsky” made by the Parisian bronzer Pierre-Philippe Thomire and, reproducing in an interior format, the famous monument to Ivan Martos standing on Red Square.

Bove I.O. Armchair First quarter of the 19th century

A special place in the exhibition is occupied by the tapestry “The Rescue of Fishermen”, which was made in Flanders in an unknown workshop in the second half of the 17th – early 18th centuries. She entered the VMDPNI in 1999 with the collection of the Museum of Folk Art named after. S. T. Morozova. The theme of the tapestry is borrowed from the Bible: in the center of the composition one of the miracles is depicted - “Walking on the Waters”. The trellis was restored in several stages - it was partially restored by specialists from the Museum of Folk Art. S. T. Morozov, and already in 2014, a complete restoration was completed by specialist restorers of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Arts. Thus, the trellis has found a new life and will be presented at the exhibition for the first time.

Such a spatial solution for the exhibition will allow the museum to organize excursions and special programs in the most effective and interesting way. The most interesting and significant exhibits will be presented with extended annotations, as well as support with QR codes, thanks to which visitors will be able to obtain more detailed information. The exposition is equipped with a modern lighting equipment system. Thanks to its high interactivity, the new exhibition promises to be more lively and interesting, as well as to promote creative dialogue with visitors, especially with children and youth.