Exhibition "Hospitality of Music. Salons and Balls in Moscow of the 19th Century" from the collection of the Museum of V.A. Tropinin

The exhibition allows everyone not only to plunge into the secular life of Moscow society, but also to get acquainted with the wonderful works of art of the first half of the 19th century.

Watercolor and pictorial masterpieces, as well as accessories from the collection of the V. A. Tropinin Museum in Moscow, are artistic evidence of the era, creating a sense of celebration. This is a story about the beautiful era of the first half of the last century - the time of the rapid development of Russian culture, the creation of iconic works of literature, music, fine arts, architecture, which received world recognition.

In the space of the exposition, the culture of leisure activities of Muscovites of the first half of the 19th century is explored using the example of painting, graphics, and decorative and applied art. Balls, masquerades, home salons, and evening parties were the central places of communication for the nobility. The home salon was distinguished by its intimacy, for the noble house became the space of events. Such secular evenings presupposed a gathering of close-minded people, and the owners themselves determined the circle of those close to them. The salons could be of different directions - literary, musical, philosophical and religious. Avdotya Elagina, Ekaterina Levashova, Karolina Pavlova, Ekaterina Sverbeeva were famous owners of salons in Moscow. It was their living rooms that became the centers of the cultural life of the ancient capital, to which creative people and celebrities aspired.

The ball as a secular entertainment was the opposite of the home salon. It is characterized by the splendor of the atmosphere, a large crowd of people, and the goal was the self-presentation of the aristocrat in high society. The ball existed according to the established rules, and their observance was part of good form. But the masquerade ball, where they came in masks and special costumes, is a planned mess with some freedom of behavior. The culmination of the ball was the bravura dance of the mazurka, during which an intricate male solo was performed, which can be seen on one of the sheets of the “Scenes of the People’s Life” series by RK Zhukovsky.

The exhibition will run until March 8, 2021.