A large-scale exhibition dedicated to the era of Peter the Great opened in the Russian Museum

ST. PETERSBURG. The Russian Museum continues the implementation of the Romanov Saga project. The exhibition opened in Mikhailovsky Castle is dedicated to Peter the Great and the era of his reign. The exposition, located in the St. George Hall of the castle, includes more than two hundred works selected from its own funds and other museums in the country. The creation of such a large-scale exhibition was attended by owners of private collections.

The official opening of the exposition took place on December 17, and the first visitors to visit the castle’s main hall on that day were the participants of the international cultural forum, which gathered for the fourth time in St. Petersburg. A unique collection has opened before the guests of the Russian Museum, representing the era of Peter the Great.

Most of the exhibition presents portraits. Portraiture was the most popular art genre of those years. Art historians believe that it was the Petrine era that became the time when the first Russian portrait painters were able to most clearly show their talents. Their work became so in demand that portrait painters barely coped with orders.

Portraits of the emperor’s family and those around her were created by such famous masters as Ivan Nikitin and Andrei Matveev, Johann Tannauer and Louis Karawak. The exhibition hall contains the best works of these painters, as well as other equally famous masters of painting. The exhibition also includes Parsuns, which are rare exhibits representing an early secular portrait. Most of these works, reminiscent of the style of the icon, are made by masters whose names are not established.

The exhibition, available for visiting until March 2016, included archival materials, sculptures, costumes and furniture from the time of Peter the Great.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru