Boris Oshkukov Museum of Florentine Mosaic

About museum

Florentine mosaic is the pinnacle of gem-cutting art. Its origins date back to the 16th century, when the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinand I de' Medici, established workshops for working with hard stones — Opificio delle pietre dure. The traditions founded in Florence were expanded in the Russian Empire and have continued to the present day.

The founders of the museum — Boris and Lyudmila Oshkukov — collected a collection of works by Russian mosaic artists over the course of decades. As a museum collection it was first presented on May 23, 2003. This event was timed to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the founding of Saint Petersburg.

Today the museum's exhibition includes works from nearly all Florentine mosaic workshops operating in modern Russia. The museum presents an unprecedented collection — more than 500 decorative panels, interior items, and pieces of jewelry.

The museum displays works by masters from different parts of Russia: Saint Petersburg, the Far East, the Urals, Bashkortostan, and Tajikistan. The collection includes works by mosaic artists such as Gennady Pavlishin, Alexander Zhuravlyov, Anatoly Golobokov, Vladimir Karmanov, Marat Akbarov, and Andrey Belyakov.