Old Russian Decorative and Applied Art
The history of the collections of decorative and applied art begins in 1895,
when the nascent Russian Museum was awarded the Mikhailovsky Palace. Its former
owners left part of the palace decor behind them when they left, including the
entire heritage of Karl Rossi. Fresh acquisitions were made in the late 1920’s
and early 1930’s. Back then, the museum already possessed a fine collection
of porcelain, glass and furniture. This was added to by the unique trellises
of St Petersburg and a wide collection of precious metals. Not many Russian
museums today can present Russian applied art as diversely and fully as the
Russian Museum.
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