The exhibition "The Jewellers of the Imperial Court – to the Navy"

The exhibition "The Jewellers of the Imperial Court – to the Navy"

The visitors may view the workshop exhibits executed by K. Faberge, P. Ovchinnikov, I. Sazikov, A. Lyubavin, V. Morozov, A. Sokolov, P. Bure. They include large pitchers, albums, table sculpture items, clocks, pens. And of course, the «hallmark» of the Central Naval Museum is the ships’ foundation boards. No other museum has such an extensive and diverse collection of ships’ «passports». Apart from the historical value, the foundation boards are of interest from the artistic and aesthetic points of view, as their manufacture was often entrusted to most famous jeweller's workshops.

The exhibited works of the Russian jewellers are invariably characterized by high professionalism and originality. For instance, a large pitcher in the form of globe, executed by N.D. Yanichkin, a craftsman of P. Ovchinnikov’s firm. It represents a globe resting on three writhing dragons. The large pitcher is a traditional Russian container for drinks, used for offering at solemn ceremonies and as a reward. This large pitcher was a gift to the Guards Crew’s common room by the officers of corvette «Rynda» (“noon bell”).

An inkstand executed by craftsman A.N. Sokolov in 1871 in the form of sculptural group of two sailors and a sergeant-major of the Guards Crew is gorgeous. It adjoins a model of a monument to Peter the Great by M.M. Antokolsky, executed by the Grachevs brothers. A.V. Lyubavin’s firm will be presented at the exhibition, in particular, by a replica of one of the rostral columns in front of the Stock Exchange, which item served as a table lamp in the office of the Naval Museum director.