Source: Royal Russia
October 21, 2015
The much-anticipated, travelling exhibition, The Tsars’ Cabinet: Two Hundred Years of Russian Decorative Arts Under the Romanovs open on October 11th at the Museum of Art in Huntsville, Alabama.
This exhibition highlights more than 200 years of decorative arts under the Romanovs during the 18th and 19th centuries. Most of the works were designed for use by the tsars and members of their families, while others illustrate prominent styles of the period. Comprising objects ranging from porcelain services, glassware, enamel, silver gilt, and decorated eggs, the exhibition is a comprehensive and inclusive collection demonstrating the majesty and luxury of the Romanov reign.
Many of the items are grouped by tsar, which helps to illustrate major social or political trends of each tsar’s reign. For example, Peter the Great and the engagement of the west; Catherine the Great and the Enlightenment; and Alexander and the defeat of Napoleon, among others. The objects and their styles reflect the political forces that shaped each tsar’s regime. Each grouping of objects shows the tastes and attitudes of the Romanov family through the magnificent items they owned and commissioned. The exhibition puts these important artistic objects in context, to connect the viewer to the individuals and events that shaped the history of Russia.
The Tsars’ Cabinet is developed from the Kathleen Durdin Collection and is organized by the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, in collaboration with International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
The exhibition, The Tsars’ Cabinet: Two Hundred Years of Russian Decorative Arts Under the Romanovs runs until January 3rd, 2016 at the Museum of Art in Huntsville, Alabama.
