We have long been friends with GOSNIIR and are very grateful to our colleagues for 'bringing to life' a number of exhibits, as well as for consultations on organizing the temperature regime in the storage facilities. Another in-person meeting with top-class specialists was also very useful. For a long time they have been systematically studying works of art made of finift (Russian enamel). Thanks to their developments, we were able to expand our knowledge of enamel objects. With the help of a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer, the dating of some items has been changed and refined. For two items — a mirror and a brooch — the painter and the place of creation became known. One of the enamel icons turned out to be a whole century older than we had thought. We also received important recommendations for ensuring optimal conditions for storing finift objects (according to the methodological manual developed at the institute). To ensure reduced air humidity, the specialists suggested using indicator silica gel as a local desiccant that changes color when saturated with moisture,
— said Irina Korotkova, collections curator of the museum-reserve 'Alexandrovskaya Sloboda'.
She was joined by a colleague from GOSNIIR — T. V. Yuryeva, a research associate in the Laboratory of Physico-Chemical Research:
Initially the Rostov Kremlin, which has a huge collection of finift, contacted us. They noticed the appearance of a white crystalline powder on Soviet-era items. Gradually we 'went deeper into the centuries' — in order to study the compositions, techniques and preservation of enamels from different periods and to identify certain patterns and factors influencing the degradation of the paint layer. Over three years we studied the collections of many museums — we are interested in the influence of different storage conditions and local schools (with differences in the elemental composition of the paints and firing methods). The 19th century, which is mainly represented here, is very important — porcelain paints began to be used and the palette generally expanded. Our research concerns both preservation and paint composition.
And for the Museum of Ivan the Terrible, cooperation with restoration professionals working across Russia undoubtedly provides the opportunity to study the remarkable art of enamel more deeply and to preserve it for posterity.
