Exhibition "Russian Empire. Sketches for a portrait"

On August 30 (September 10), 1721, the Treaty of Nystadt was concluded between Russia and Sweden, which ended the Northern War. Russia was able to get access to the Baltic Sea. The lands that had been lost at the beginning of the 17th century returned to it. This marked the beginning of the military-political, economic and cultural flourishing of the Russian state. In commemoration of an important event, the Senate and Synod on October 22 (November 2), 1721 presented Tsar Peter Alekseevich with the titles of Father of the Fatherland and Emperor of All Russia, which he accepted.

Russia has become an empire. And it was natural to expect this. The well-known concept "Moscow - the third Rome", which arose during the rise of the Moscow principality at the beginning of the 16th century and spoke about the special role of the Russian state among the world powers, was embodied two centuries later. Russia has long considered itself the heir to the Byzantine Empire, the only sovereign Orthodox state. And the Byzantine Empire, in turn, was the successor to the very first empire - the Roman. However, the capital of the new empire was not Moscow, but the city erected by Peter the Great - St. Petersburg, which, due to its geographical location, became the very "window to Europe" that linked the West and the East. After Russia was proclaimed an empire, its international position changed radically.The recognition by the rulers of other countries of the imperial title of Peter the Great strengthened her authority in world politics.

The Russian Empire was destined to exist for 196 years. Over the years, the face of the empire has been constantly changing: its territory expanded, the most important social and cultural processes took place. Some of them are reflected in works of art. Items from the collection of the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts, presented at the exhibition, reflect individual phenomena of the past and, like a mosaic, add up to a single image of imperial Russia.

One of the parts of the exposition is a reproduction of the interior of a room of a noble estate of the 18th - 19th centuries. The estate is one of the brightest socio-cultural phenomena of imperial Russia. Two estates - noble and peasant, existed together in the space of the estate. If the noble culture contributed to the Europeanization of society, then the peasant culture preserved the ancient, primordial traditions. The objects that surrounded the inhabitants of the estate were undoubted works of art - furniture, porcelain, bronze items, paintings, created by both foreign and domestic masters.

The exhibition presents a story about the historical reality of imperial Russia. The portraits of the rulers, arranged in chronological order, are accompanied by images of events and phenomena that were characteristic of the time of their reign. The story begins with the first days of the empire - the reign of Peter I, and ends with the very last days of its existence, which ended with the revolutionary events of 1917.

The Russian Empire ceased to exist more than a hundred years ago. However, all the achievements of that era did not disappear into oblivion. They are still of great importance to the present day. Knowing and understanding what our past was like, we will be able to realize our present and look forward to the future.

The exhibition will run until January 30, 2022.