Painting with Stone: The Oshkukov Museum of Florentine Mosaic in Saint Petersburg

The Private Museum of Florentine Mosaic was opened in 2003 in Saint Petersburg
by the artist and sculptor Boris Oshkukov. Neither in Florence itself — the cradle of mosaic art — nor anywhere else in the world are there museums dedicated to contemporary Florentine mosaic. The museum's collection features mosaics made in different styles and using various stoneworking techniques. The uniqueness of the collection lies in the fact that it consists exclusively of works by Russian masters created at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The classical art of Florentine mosaic originated in Italy in the 16th century. Unlike Roman mosaic, assembled from small stone fragments, Florentine mosaic was created from polished semi-precious stones, fitted together so precisely that the border between them was almost invisible. Thanks to its decorative
qualities and special laying technique, Florentine mosaic was called "frozen painting." The Medici family made a major contribution to the development and popularity of this art form. In the Renaissance, objects and furniture decorated with Florentine mosaic were of particular value and demonstrated the high status of the owner. Florentine mosaic reached Russia later — by the mid-18th century, during the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Russian craftsmen quickly mastered the art of Florentine mosaic and became competitors to the Italian mosaicists.

In Russia, a new wave of popularity for Florentine mosaic came at the end of the 19th — the middle of the 20th century, when it moved into a monumental genre. Some examples of the Soviet adaptation of Florentine mosaic can be seen in the Moscow Metro, for example at the Biblioteka Lenina, Chekhovskaya, and Baumanskaya stations.

To unite the unjoinable, to show the colors of the surrounding world through original works by artists from different corners of Russia — that was Boris Oshkukov's main idea. The museum's collection consists of 480 exhibits. These include mosaic panels, various decorative and applied art objects, furniture, and sculptures. The collection also contains 170 works by Oshkukov himself. The museum's exhibition is housed in seven halls: the Saint Petersburg and Far East Hall, the Ural Hall, the Boris Oshkukov Hall, the Yuri Shevtsov Hall, the Alexander Belyakov Hall, and the Rakhmat Baturaliev Hall. There is also a gallery of portraits of historical figures.

Музей Флорентийской мозаики имени Бориса Ошкукова

Флорентийская мозаика – вершина камнерезного искусства. Ее истоки восходят к XVI в., когда великий герцог Тосканы, Фердинанд I Медичи, учредил мастерские обработки твердых камней – Opificio delle piet ...

Санкт-Петербург, Ждановская улица, 45