Decorative and Applied Art

The Russian Museum’s collection of decorative arts comprises more than 35,000 objects and is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Its foundations were laid by furnishings from the Mikhailovsky Palace, works of decorative art from imperial residences outside St Petersburg, and objects from the palaces of the Yusupov, Shuvalov, Sheremetev and Stroganov families. The collection also includes objects that once belonged to members of the imperial family, from Peter the Great to Nicholas II.

Porcelain accounts for almost a third of the collection. It traces the major stages in the development of Russian porcelain, from the work of Dmitry Vinogradov and imperial porcelain services of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to pieces produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory and leading private manufacturers. The collection also includes significant holdings of art glass, faience and majolica, furniture, textiles, ecclesiastical vestments, and works in metal, wood and bone. Notable works include pieces by Mikhail Vrubel and the tapestry The Battle of Poltava. The collection traces not only the development of artistic techniques and styles, but also changes in everyday life and culture in Russia from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.