How many unusual museums are there in the world, including St. Petersburg? These can be not only art galleries or exhibits in famous old buildings, but also interesting original monuments of Russian culture in ordinary buildings.
Stieglitz Museum, St. Petersburg
In the center of the city, where the academy that produces artists is located, there is a museum that contains a unique collection of things related to different times and styles. More than thirty thousand exhibits from antiquity to the present day can be seen in the museum: porcelain, ceramics, metal, furniture, Russian tiled stoves, as well as the work of students over the past half century.
The building itself is also a historical heritage and a unique monument. Designed by the architect Maximilian Messmacher, it is reminiscent of Italian Renaissance buildings. It was built not only for beauty, but also so that students could clearly see an example and be able to join world art. Students also actively participated in the design of the halls in order to put into practice their knowledge gained in the classroom.
History of the Stieglitz Museum of Applied Arts
In 1876, the famous baron, as well as the financier, industrialist and philanthropist AlexanderStieglitz wanted to create a technical drawing school. Two years later, in 1878, a museum appeared in one of the buildings of the school. Active participation in the development was taken by statesman Alexander Polovtsev, architect Maximilian Messmacher. It was he who in 1885 began the construction of the building, which was supposed to house the museum, at the same time, antiques and objects of applied art were bought at various Russian and international auctions.
The collection of the Museum of Applied Arts of the Stieglitz Academy includes high-quality exhibits that belonged to the eras of antiquity, the Renaissance, the Middle Ages and to Eastern and Russian art of the 17th and 18th centuries.
11 years later, in 1896, the official opening took place, where Nicholas II and his family were present, as well as noble people of St. Petersburg.
Samples of gold, copper, porcelain, jewelry, fabrics were placed in specially made showcases.
Since then, the collection of the Stieglitz Museum has been constantly replenished, international exhibitions have been held. In 1898, the World of Art exhibition was held, in 1904 - the Historical Exhibition of Art Objects, in 1915 - the Exhibition of Church Antiquities.
Museum Funds
More than thirty-five thousand items in 14 rooms and galleries from antiquity to the present day are located in the Stieglitz Museum. All funds can be divided into types of art, such as, for example, the fund of ceramics and porcelain. The main exhibits presented here were collected after the war and receivedfrom the collections of the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Items created at the Imperial Porcelain Factory, items from China and Japan made during the reign of the Qing Dynasty are presented.
The art glass fund has more than 350 exhibits from different eras, and some belong to the 6th-5th centuries. BC e.: glasses, beads, amulets, vessels. Separately, we can note objects related to Venetian glassmaking, and a collection of Russian glass, which is represented by single samples.
Another interesting collection in the Stieglitz Museum is the textiles, of which there are more than 7,000 samples, demonstrating various methods of decoration: weaving, printing, embroidery with silk and gold threads. A significant part is the robes that were transferred from the Museum of the History of Religion: the clothes of priests, servants of the Buddhist temple, Catholic ornaments and others.
Besides these funds, the museum also has a collection of fine arts, bone carvings, furniture and wood carvings.
Ticket price and museum address
The Stieglitz Museum is located at 13-15 S alt Lane. Anyone can come here and see the presented exhibits and temporary exhibitions every day except Sunday and Monday.
You can get to the museum by public transport, the nearest metro station is "NevskyProspekt", "Chernyshevskaya" and "Gostiny Dvor".
The cost of a ticket for adults is 300 rubles, and for schoolchildren, pensioners and students - 150 rubles, the main thing is not to forget to present documents. Participants of the Great Patriotic War, Heroes of the Soviet Union and children under 7 years old have free admission. There are also group tours, which should be agreed in advance.
