Russian Museum Research Articles

Shabtis of the XXIst Dynasty in the Collection of the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan

This article is a publication of shabtis of the 21 st Dynasty (c. 1070–950 B.C.) kept at the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan (NMRT). These objects found in the Bab el-Gasus Cache were received by the Kazan Museum in 1895 after the items of the so-called “Russian lot” had been distributed. Based on the analysis of recently published archival documents, museum documentation and previous publications of the Egyptian collection in Kazan (the description by B.A. Turaev and the catalogue by O.D. Berlev and S.I. Hodjash), the author identified shabtis from the “Russian lot” and in some cases, established their possible correspondence to the owners of the burial sets from the Bab el-Gasus tomb. In previous publications of the Egyptian part of the Kazan collection, descriptions of these items were not as detailed as needed for comprehensive research. All shabtis of the 21 st Dynasty were divided into three categories according to their provenance: ones undoubtedly coming from the Bab el-Gasus Cache; ones originating from the Theban necropolis; ones with their exact provenance not clarified. As a result it was possible to identify 8 out of 9 shabtis coming from Bab el-Gasus. The article contains updated information about each of the shabtis of the 21 st Dynasty , reproduction and translation of hieroglyphic inscriptions, and photographs of each piece. The main achievement of the present study is verification of the information about the NMRT collection’s shabtis, which is necessary for further research both of the history of objects from the “Russian lot” and background of other 21 st Dynasty shabtis kept in various Russian museums.

Documentary archive of Alexander Gaush (1873–1947) in the Simferopol Art Museum collection. Letters of Igor Grabar

This article classifies the archive of Alexander Gaush in the Simferopol Art Museum funds and studies the texts of individual documents. Alexander Gaush (1873–1947) was an artist and graphic artist, participant of exhibitions of the Academy of Arts and the World of Art artistic movement, one of the founders of the New Society of Artists, curator of the Museum of Old Saint Petersburg, professor of painting, a talented teacher. A number of archive documents were previously studied by the chief curator of museum funds Leonarda Rybnikova, the Crimean art critic Sergey Pushkarev; individual pages of the artist’s biography were illuminated by the employee of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History Lyudmila Aksenova. The archive documents can be classified into two sections: the first includes letters and handwritten documents authored by Alexander Gaush; the second includes letters addressed to A.Gaush and various documents related to the life and work of the artist and his wife Lyubov Gaush (1873–1943). Among A.Gaush’s correspondents are prominent artists: Eugene Demmeni (1898–1969), Nikolay Root (1870–1960), Alfred Eberling (1872–1951), Igor Grabar (1871–1960). The letters of Igor Grabar, sent in 1946–1947, allow us to see a picture of the artistic life of this time. The text of these letters sheds light on the history of the portrait, which A.Gaush, with the assistance of Igor Grabar, tried to transfer to the Russian Museum through the Leningrad Purchasing Commission. A number of facts suggest that this work of art was the Portrait of Lyubov Gaush created by Alexander Sokolov, which was transferred by A.Gaush for temporary storage to the Simferopol Art Gallery in 1946 and accepted into the main fund in 1949.

Российский музей детства: к вопросу о разработке научной концепции

Background. Despite a number of large-scale projects focused on the study of childhood, there is an urgent need to preserve modern and historical examples of children culture. Psychological and pedagogical ideas on the age speciZcs ofchild development, elaborated within the framework of cultural-historical approach, serve as a solid foundation for the Russian Museum of Childhood. Objective. [e aim of the article is to present an outline of possible activities and scientiZc approaches to the development of the Russian Museum of Childhood. Methods. [e available data on the activities of Childhood Museums in Russia and abroad are profoundly analysed. Results. [e study of the experience in creating museums devoted to the culture of childhood has shown that children’s toys constitute the dominant feature of collections. At the same time, practically no museums represent various aspects of the social situation of a child’s development nor re\ect they the peculiarities of child’s daily and cultural life. [e idea of preservation and exhibition of cultural samples of children’s life forms the basis for investigating possible directions of scientiZc and practical work of the Russian Museum of Childhood. It is suggested to assemble thematic museum collections re\ecting the socio-cultural components of children at di]erent ages in di]erent historical periods. [e museum’s target audience includes children, parents, and teachers. In addition to exhibition and excursion activities, the museum is supposed to serve as a place of children’s leisure and creativity, a space of communication and education for parents and teachers. ScientiZc life of the Russian Museum of Childhood will be based on deep research into the history of toys and play traditions as well as the history of childhood in an interdisciplinary context. Both, the contemporary culture of childhood, and the historical aspect of psychological and pedagogical research on childhood will be analysed. Conclusion. Creation of such a cultural space will contribute to the preservation and maintenance of intergenerational relationships and continuity in the family. It will also promote educational culture of parents and professional development of teachers. Conducting scientiZc research in the Russian Museum of Childhood will make it possible to develop science-intensive and culture-intensive innovative psychological and educational projects.

Неизвестный Головницкий. Творческий поиск в станковых произведениях скульптора

The article analyzes the formal stylistic characteristics of the easel works of the National Artist of the Russian Federation, academic, Lev Nikolavich Golovnitskiy (1929–1994). Our study allowed us to identify the variations in the sculptor’s compositional genius reflected in the easel art genre. This field was not subject to political and ideological biases, allowing artists to experiment with form and sculpture. We noted a constant cycle of themes characteristic of Golovnitskiy: vast human and civilian themes, heroic deeds and events of the time. We analyzed easel works stored in Russian museum collections. Photographs of Golovnitskiy’s unpreserved easel works are introduced into the literature for the first time. These rare images confirm the breadth of the sculptor’s knowledge in creating forms and are close, stylistically, to the modernist pursuits. Complex methods of analysis allowed us to determine that Golovnitskiy actively used graphic techniques and methods of styling, generalization, and intercompositional rhythmic constructions. The article stresses the importance of studying the artist’s sketches alongside his sculptures, as many graphic and rhythmic findings are reflected in the plastic medium. Specialattention is paid L.N. Golovnitsky’s work as a mentor, having trained well-known Buryat sculptor, B.D. Namdakov, using his own unique approaches to compositions.

The myth of space: Interpretation in the Ural stone-cutting art of the 1950s –1980s

The article is devoted to the study of one of the key topics of the Soviet art industry — the space program of the USSR. This topic is considered on the example of the activities of the Sverdlovsk factory «Russkiye Samotsvety». In the 1950s – 1980s, the factory was the leading stone-cutting enterprise of the state, which allows us to consider the formation and development of the space theme in the stone-cutting art and, more broadly, the art industry of the Soviet Union using its example. For the study, archival data published for the first time, graphic materials previously unknown to researchers from the collection of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore, as well as works from the collection of Russian museums were involved. The material of the article is divided into two parts, revealing the areas of activity of the stone-cutters of the factory «Russkiye Samotsvety». The first part deals with models of souvenirs and functional items approved for production from the late 1950s to the 1970s. The main constructive motives of these works are noted, as well as materials (stone raw materials) and techniques chosen by the masters for the implementation of projects. Stable motives and techniques are singled out, which remained relevant in the framework of the embodiment of space themes in products of the circulation circle. The second part is devoted to the consideration of the so-called author’s works of the plant’s stone-cutting masters. On the basis of recently discovered sheets of design graphics, as well as rare objects presented in museum collections, the main types of works are distinguished, as well as the characteristic techniques used by masters in creating objects. Great detail is noted, the use of materials uncharacteristic for the space theme in the 1970s, as well as attempts by craftsmen to use their specific properties within the framework of a given topic (transparency-translucency, color, texture, stone pattern, etc.). Consideration of two areas of creativity of stone-cutting masters makes it possible to single out the topic of space exploration as one of the most important in line with the selfpresentation of the successes and capabilities of the USSR.

From the Art of Space to the Art of Understanding: The “Universal Language” Exhibition Project of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts “Universal Language” exhibition project of the was dedicated to the idea of the world’s unity in its diversity of languages and cultures, and the desire of mankind to find a common language. This exhibition is primarily about the importance of the diversity of human communication, about finding mutual understanding through the wisdom of creeds and travel, through diplomacy and everyday rituals. This multilingualism was represented by a variety of scripts with traditions dating back thousands of years, deciphered texts, characters, and hieroglyphs, as well as very young language systems that emerged only a few decades ago. The treasures of Russian museums, archives, libraries, and academic institutes, many of which were first extracted from the vaults, allowed us to make an imaginary journey through countries and epochs, to look not only many centuries ago, but also to see in this reflection of ourselves today.

А. Bogolyubov as the Sea Genre Artist: Oil Paintings of the State Russian Museum Created in France

The article is devoted to the series of paintings by landscape and marine painter Alexey Bogolyubov (1824–1896), that were created in the 1850s – 1880s in France. The history of existence of the artist’s works at the Academy of Arts, the questions of their dating are mentioned (partly, as a result of technological examination). The article attempts to present some individual features of Bogolyubov pictorial language, and the evolution of his ideas on the oil sketches role.

Graphic Heritage as a Tool for the Attribution and Style Analysis of Works of the Imperial Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory of the Last Third of the 19th — Early 20th Centuries

Belonging to the style of late eclectics, products of the Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory are scarce in the collections of Russian museums. Their small size and complex forms did not correspond to the notion of objects worthy of preservation. For this reason, most of the works created by Ural masters in the 1870s–1900s did not enter their collections at the early stage of the formation of Soviet museums. The insignificant presence of these works in available collections, the possibility of becoming acquainted with many of them only from graphic materials, together with a general negative attitude towards the decorative arts of late eclecticism and historicism, led to a lack of systematic analysis, often replaced by general phrases about decadence and insufficient artistic level. Meanwhile, more and more works by the Imperial Lapidary Factory in Ekaterinburg appearing on the antique market during this period are evidence of a strenuous search for new forms. The absence of a recognizable approach to form makes the attribution of such items extremely difficult, and often impossible without reference to the graphic heritage of the factory. Scattered and still awaiting systematization, it indicates the involvement of artists of different trends in the search for new forms and principles of decorating stone works. The article considers the existing complexes of graphic works connected with the activity of the Ekaterinburg Lapidary Factory, restoring the fate of previously undescribed objects. Also, the author provides information on the known materials, analyzing the style of proposed and executed designs and providing examples of attributions made based on drawings. Several graphic sheets are introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time.

Strategic Communications Of Museum Institutions

The paper is dedicated to the analysis of the essence of strategic communications of museums in the context of modern cultural genesis. The ever-increasing transformation of the social environment, associated both with the growing mediatization of society, changes in the museum practices, development of communication technologies and tools, and with the growing role of the audience, which increasingly influences the work of cultural institutions and the mass media, determines the focus of attention of representatives of the relevant museum departments to search for new communication strategies and tactics. In order to comprehend the strategic communications of museum institutions in St. Petersburg, the author conducted a sociological survey of residents and guests of the city about their awareness of the museums of the Northern capital. Fragmentation and insufficiency in measurable indicators of the effectiveness of communication of the museum institutions of the city is noted. It is concluded that the respondents are most aware of the top 3 museums: Hermitage, Russian Museum and Kunstkamera; the majority of respondents are ready to go to these museums in the near future.

Information Сapacity of Globalized Text Content: Museum Website as a Translation Object

The article is devoted to the study of translation and creation of globalized text content of an official cultural and leisure institution website on the example of museum websites. The relevance of this research is due to the need to enlarge the target audience of Russian museums which official websites do not still provide globalized versions in the English language, which the author argues to choose for the reason of its lingua franca status. High-quality text content focused on a global visitor can not only expand the target audience but also yield other benefits for cultural and leisure institutions. The author considers that pragmatics of a potential global recipient requires following certain principles while translating a text from Russian into English or while creating a globalized text based on the Russian original. This work is aimed at studying and analyzing whether the principles of textual information completeness and brevity, which the author views as the basic ones, are followed or not, and which rules are obeyed. The text material selected for analysis is presented by text content fragments displayed on the official websites of world-known Russian museums located in Moscow and St. Petersburg with annual attendance by a vast number of foreign visitors. It is revealed that text simplicity interrelated with text brevity is reached due to transformations at lexical and syntactical levels. The rule of textual information omission is mainly performed when the textual information is irrelevant for a foreign recipient.

The Student Club as a Tool for Attracting Youth Audience to Museums

The authors describe the possibility of using a differentiated approach based on vocational education in the field of art and culture as a new criterion for attracting youth audiences to museums in the digital era. A distinctive feature of the differentiated approach in the activities of museum student clubs is the targeted impact on various groups of young people, taking into account their age and level of art training in the development of museum programs. In order to assess the applicability of the differentiated approach to working with young people in museums, the members of student clubs of the two largest museums in Russia, i.e., the Hermitage and the Russian Museum, were surveyed. Expert interviews with the staff of the student clubs were also conducted. Based on the results of the analysis, the authors identified three groups of the young people, which were designated as “interested,” “advanced” and “proficient.” The criteria for dividing into the groups were differences in the educational level of the students in the field of art and culture. This division allowed to determine the forms of the most attractive museum events for the identified groups of students. The results of the study may be useful in working with the youth audience in other museums.

Analysis of Domestic Historiographical Works on the History of Museum Business and the State of Russian Museum Historiography

The purpose of the work is to identify, classify and analyze existing historiographical publications on the history of museum business. The study used general historical principles: objectivity, scientific and historicism, as well as methods of systematization and chronological. One of the significant features marking the latest trends in the Russian museum business can be characterized by the appearance of a significant number of publications devoted to the activities of museums, the history of their funds, collections, individual exhibits. At the same time, Russian museum literature has not received a broad historiographical assessment. Russian museologists drew attention to the incompleteness of the Russian historiography of museum business. This study was carried out for the first time, the result of it is the grouping of the entire set of submitted works according to the problem-thematic principle and conclusions on historical periods are given. According to the pre-revolutionary period, it should be noted that at that time the museum business was a fairly new type of professional activity, not fully formed and institutionalized. The Soviet period is characterized by increased research interest and attention to the problem of museums and the historiography of museum business. But the scientific and theoretical groundwork was still being formed at a slow pace. The democratization of society as a whole and the social sphere, education and culture has led to more extensive research of museum business. It is in the modern period that publishing and research activity is significantly increasing. In conclusion, promising directions for further research within the framework of the topic under consideration are presented.

LANGUAGE MATERIALS OF THE CENTRAL ASIA AND SIBERIA COLLECTİON OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS AND DOCUMENTS OF THE INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL MANUSCRIPTS OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

For more than 100 years, the Department of Manuscripts and Documents of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences (formerly the Asiatic Museum, the St. Petersburg branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) has been collecting materials on linguistic monuments of Central Asia and Siberia (mainly Turkic). However, there was no description and cataloguing of these materials. Since January 2010, the author of the present article has carried out an inventory and identification of these materials. As a result of this work, it was found that the collection contains a large number of unique linguistic materials, mainly rubbings of Turkic runic inscriptions, which significantly expand the possibilities of linguistic and historical study of the written heritage of the ancient Turks. The rubbings are copies of texts of both well-known and unknown monuments, as well as inscriptions that were considered lost. In the course of work with the collection, materials stored in the State Hermitage Museum, the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), the Russian Museum of Ethnography, the St. Petersburg branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Archives of the Orientalists of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the RAS were involved. In parallel, work was carried out on the conservation of storage units. Some materials were included from other collections.

Хошеутовский улус в программе путешествия царской семьи летом 1871 г.: к истории происхождения калмыцких экспонатов Российского этнографического музея

Goals. The work attempts an analysis of sources constituting the program of stay of Emperor Alexander II and Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, the future Emperor Alexander III, who visited Khosheutovsky Ulus of Kalmyk Steppe (Astrakhan Governorate) in the summer of 1871 during their trip to the Caucasus. It is the ceremonial part of such travels that has made it possible to preserve most precious artifacts illustrating the material heritage of Russia’s peoples nowadays investigated by researchers representing various fields of science. Materials and methods. The chronological method in synthesis with that of reconstruction prove instrumental in considering the summer 1871 visit paid by members of Russia’s imperial house to Khosheutovsky Ulus in a time sequence, while the ideographic method helps describe the event under study. The paper focuses on documentary materials housed at the State Archive of Astrakhan Oblast and the National Archive of Kalmykia. The examined evidence also includes photographic images of showpieces from the Russian Museum of Ethnography, as well as works by pre-revolutionary and contemporary authors. Results. The distinct culture of Kalmyk Buddhists was undoubtedly attracting the attention of the monarchs. Expressing feelings of loyalty and showing respect for the reigning family, Kalmyks would present the latter with best works of decorative and applied arts of theirs that vividly illustrate nomadic lifestyles of the ethnos. Each item is characterized not only by environmental friendliness and portability — as legacy and experience of previous generations — but also bears traces of acculturation processes to have taken place in the Volga’s multiconfessional space. At present, those artefacts serve as centerpieces to collections of many museums not only in Russia but also abroad.

Memorial Cross from the Chapel of the Assumption of Kem Cathedral. Reconstruction of the Author’s Color Decision on the Basis of the Data of Natural Sciences

A large, carved, polychrome memorial cross, located in the chapel at the Assumption Cathedral in Kem (an accurately dated artifact of the second half of the 17th century) was identified as part of an expedition of specialists from the Russian Museum in 2020. The first comprehensive study of the monument is carried out, the results of which make it possible to accurately determine the materials and technique of execution both of the base and the polychrome cutting. After an initial ultraviolet (UV) study, detailed photofixation, and X‑ray fluorescence analysis of the pigments, determination of the composition of the layers of pictorial and metallized cuts is continued using analytical and histochemical methods. The results obtained do not reveal any data that contradict art-history dating. Thus, the result of the study is the identification, attribution and introduction into the information field of another precisely dated site of the White Sea region, and a comprehensive analysis of the finishing materials makes it possible to carry out the proposed restoration of the author’s color scheme.

Archival data on Historical locations of the Asiatic Museum in the Kunstkamera building

The Asiatic Museum was the first specialized research centre for oriental studies in Imperial Russia. The successors of the Asiatic Museum are nowadays the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) and the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). The Asiatic Museum collection of coins was subsequently transferred to the State Hermitage and the collections of ethnographic artefacts were embedded into the collections of what is nowadays Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg). Studying the history of the Asiatic Museum is therefore significant both for the history of oriental studies and the history of museums and special collections in Russia. The archival holdingds reveal that in the 1820s the Asiatic Museum collections were allocated in the west wing of the present Kunstkamera building and occupied only five rooms in the first floor. In the 1830s some of the Russian museums were reformed. The Asiatic Museum had to change its location: it occupied a hall in the first floor in the Kunstkamera. Later, in 1837, the items, which belonged to the ethnographic collection were transferred to the newly established Ethnographic Museum of the Academy of Sciences. Now they form an integral part of the collections of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera).

An exploration of the hidden endosymbionts of Corbicula in the native range.

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The specimens are deposited (under registration numbers Fbir9, N12, N13, N67, N68) in the Russian Museum of the Biodiversity Hotspots (RMBH) of N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Arkhangelsk, Russia). Data (Bespalaya et al., 2022) are available in Figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19878763. Appendix S1 Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Down with Bridewealth, Down with the Veil! Soviet Campaign for the Emancipation of Women in Central Asia in Graphics and Textiles between the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract Varied visuals (paper-based, textiles, ceramics, etc.) targeted men and women to join the struggle for a new happy life in Soviet Central Asia. I designate these visuals as “Soviet material ideology” and I consider them as a powerful tool in spreading new ideas and practices. In this paper I explore posters and carpets created in the 1920s and 1930s that call for the emancipation of women of Central Asia. Studying of graphic and textile iconography helps to understand how the image of a woman of the “Soviet East” was reproduced and which ideas about women’s emancipation were promoted. The analysis of Soviet visuals, which were a part of everyday life, explores a multidimensional picture of Soviet history and reveals the links between tradition and modernity, national and supranational, top-down and bottom-up narratives. Finally, textiles and graphics reflect Soviet trends pertaining to gender roles in the 1920–1930s. The paper is based on posters from the collection of the department of the Russian State Library and the Mardjani Foundation. It also relies on the examination of carpets from the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan, the State Museum of Oriental Art, the Russian Museum of Ethnography, the All-Russian Museum of Decorative and Applied Art and private collections.

Media Projects as a Culture-Saving Communication Technology

The role of media projects in the modern world is growing. Today they are used in various spheres of activity of subjects of sociocultural communication. Theaters and museums, striving to remain a living part of society, are increasingly using media projects, providing their visitors with the opportunity to interact with the cultural achievements of the present and past.The article considers media projects as a promising communication technology in the development of cultural institutions. The article describes the transformation of the museum and theatrical space organization, the trend towards the growth of interactivity as a form of open dialogue between the visitor and the cultural institution. The author defines the concept of “media project in the field of art”. Museums and theaters today are participants in the process of mediatization, they actively use digital communication technologies and new models of communication with the audience. There are considered examples of successful media projects using virtual and augmented reality technologies in Russian museums and theaters over the past few years, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article focuses on the connection of cultural institutions with new media — both of them disseminate information content, seek to gain and retain the attention of the audience. There are described examples of new media that have a successful experience in the implementation of educational projects. The article also discusses culture-oriented media projects in the field of education, which contributes to the formation and strengthening of the cultural competence of a modern specialist in any field.There are formulated the problems that a cultural institution may face at the stages of planning and implementing a media project. The author comes to the conclusion that media projects help to attract a wide audience to a cultural institution and retain the interest of its regular visitors; and interactivity, gamification and high-quality design will bring media projects in the field of art to a qualitatively new level.

“Frost” on Tin — a Technique of Russian Chest Production

“Frost” on tin is a decorating technique widely used in the Russian chest production of the 19th—20th centuries. The technology is based on the crystallization of molten tin plate (a mixture of tin and lead) with the addition of water droplets and a chemical reaction on the crystallized tin plate of a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. The technique of “frost” on tin as one of the means of decorating chests and caskets has not been previously devoted to a special study. The purpose of this paper is to identify the origins and significance of this technique in the history of chest production in Russia, to determine its artistic features in comparison with foreign items, as well as to analyze specific works. Items from the collection of the Folk Art Department of the State Russian Museum were used as research material. The chronological framework of the study is the 19th—20th centuries. The author of the paper concludes that the “frost” on tinwas extremely popular over a vast territory. This technique was not a feature of the applied art only of Veliky Ustyug. For a long time, it played an important role in decorating chests, caskets, cellarets and boxes. In some centers, this technique successfully competed with painting. Perhaps, the “frost” on tin was a borrowed phenomenon. This had become possible due to the favorable conditions associated not only with trade but also with the development of the culture of certain regions of Russia. The foreign technique was adapted by Russian craftsmen in accordance with local artistic traditions.