Exhibition 'Cabinet History'

About exhibition

The exhibition, presented in the halls on the second floor of the palace-museum, continues the series of interior displays of recent years: 'Artistic Furnishing of the Russian Domestic Interior of the First Quarter of the 19th – Early 20th Century', 'Karelian Birch in Russia', 'Decorative Wood Species in Russian Furniture of the 19th Century', 'The Lady in the Interior', 'The Charm of the Past'. Based on objects from the museum collections, the exhibition offers a retrospective of study furnishings from the 19th to the early 20th century — variations of interior decoration in houses from the period fascinated by historical styles and Art Nouveau. The furnishing of the study changed rapidly in accordance with the styles and tastes of the incoming era. As part of the exhibition, Alexander I's study has been opened to visitors for the first time. The restoration of the study was carried out according to the 1826 inventories, which give detailed descriptions of finishing materials, the shape of the bronze door appliqués, the fireplace, the frame of the fireplace mirror, painted decorations, parquet patterns, wallpapers, and more. In addition, an image of the study in a watercolor executed in 1821 by the artist M. N. Vorobyov, who was called a painter of everyday life of his time, was used. His works are notable for their meticulous detail and accuracy, which greatly helped in the restoration process and the preparation of the exhibition.