An exhibition “Baranov Calicoes. Our Russian Triumph” from the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve opened in the exhibition hall of the Abramtsevo Museum-Reserve. For decades it has been carrying out systematic work to form a collection of printed fabrics from the mid-19th to the 20th centuries produced at the Troitsko-Alexandrovsk manufactory of the Baranov merchants. Today it numbers more than 2,000 storage units, is the pride of the museum and is constantly being added to.
“Baranov calicoes” are the best-known domestic textile brand of the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries. They were named after the industrialist family and, alongside well-known folk crafts, are today considered one of the hallmarks of Russian traditional culture.
At the beginning of the 20th century “Baranov calicoes” became so popular that their products could be found both in the city and in the village. They were sold at domestic fairs and eastern bazaars, among peddlers’ goods and in expensive shops. The fabrics were exhibited in the Russian pavilion at the World’s Fair in Paris, and their manufacturer received an order from the Persian Shah.
The basis of the traveling exhibition project is made up of the best exhibits from the museum collection. It introduces residents of other regions to the calicoes produced in the Alexandrovsky uyezd of the Vladimir Governorate, which became some of the finest in the history of domestic chintz-printing production.
During the exhibition presentation, the head of the scientific-exposition department of the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve, A.V. Listopad, said: “For this project we tried to select beautiful, original, historically significant items. Such is the fabric sample called 'currant leaf'. It is the pride of our collection because this design received the highest award — the Grand Prix — at the Paris Exhibition in 1889. Parisians were delighted with its beauty, brightness and fine workmanship. In addition, in the insert you can see items that are being exhibited for the first time. In particular, a work created by the artist Ivan Kirillov for the exhibition that took place at the Russian Museum.”
D.I. Ivaneeva, a specialist in exhibition activities at the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda museum-reserve, noted that “the exhibition features more than one hundred items. These include headscarves, calicoes, and elements of folk costume that are decorated with Baranov calicoes.” By the way, this is the exhibition debut of Sloboda’s young staff member.
Representatives of the Abramtsevo museum-reserve emphasized the established good, mutually beneficial relations between the two museums. The exchange of exhibition projects has been carried out since 2017, when the relevant agreement was signed. As a reciprocal step, an exhibition provided by Abramtsevo will soon open at Sloboda.
