Memorial Objects Fund Department

Memorial Objects Fund Department exists from 1990 and includes more than 10 thousand units. Collection gathered by Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin forms its basis.

Today, the fund stores the object collections related to theatrical theme, prominent figures of Russian and foreign theatre, principal landmarks of Russian theatrical history. They include memorial objects of leading figures of Russian and foreign stages, commemorative medals, insignias, badges, theatrical and domestic costume, objects of applied arts from glass and porcelain, artistic metal, stage prop and props for some performances, objects of theatrical life. Fund of objects with maintenance of precious metals and stones is detached from the main fund.

Collection of the theatrical costume provides a picture of stage history and artistic solution of performances, creative workshops of actors and their repertoire. Museum keeps costumes for theatrical productions of Maly and Alexandrinsky theatres, belonging to M.N. Yermolova, G.N. Fedotova, A.P. Lensky, A.I. Yuzhin, V.N. Ryzhova, N.I. Muzil, M.G. Savina, O.A. Pravdin; for performances of opera and ballet theatres: Mariinsky and Bolshoi, Private Opera, Musical Drama Theatre. Most of them are the costumes of leading performers: L.V. Sobinov, D.A. Smirnov, A.I. Mozzhukhin, P.I. Tsesevich.

Collection of the costumes of Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin includes almost whole repertoire of the signer. Museum has several interesting costumes designed by Konstantin Alexeyevich Korovin  – for the performance “The Golden Cockerel”. Department has the collections of personal belongings of M.S. Shchepkin, L.V. Sobinov, G.N. Fedotova, A.P. Lensky, Sadovskys’ dynasty, F.I. Chaliapin, V.N. Ryzhova, M.I. Babanova, A.G. Koonen, M.M. Plisetskaya, actors and directors of the modern theatre.

Corresponding collections of the memorial objects fund became the base of the permanent exhibition of the A.A. Bakhrushin Theatre Museum’s branches. First objects of the memorial objects fund’s collection are dated by the late XVIII – early XIX centuries. For example, costumes and props of the Apraksin’s serf theatre in the estate Olgovo of Dmitrovsky district belong to the turn of XVIII-XIX centuries.

Ballet shoes of XIX-XX centuries’ collection generates a great interest: Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin gave a special consideration to the collecting of them, being a biggest admirer of the classical dance art. Ballet shoes of Maria Taglioni and Fanny Elssler, who performed in Russia at the late 1840’s – in the early 1850’s, are unique because of their historical and memorial significance.

Collection has also the ballet shoes of Tamara Karsavina, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Vaslav Nijinsky, Marius Petipa, Ekaterina Maksimova, Vladimir Vasilyev, Maya Plisetskaya. Number of exhibits has autographs and complimentary inscriptions.

Porcelain collection includes more than 1 thousand units. There are figurines of Maria Taglioni, Fanny Elssler, Maris Liepa, Natalia Bessmertnova, Galina Ulanova. The authors of these works are A.D. Brzhezitskaya, N.Y. Danko, D.I. Ivanov, S.N. Sudbinin and other remarkable native sculptors.

Love for theatre in pre-revolutionary Russia in every group of society and admiration of idols’ talents are proved by the magnificent gifts from precious materials made by leading jewellery firms, the touching presents from wood, the albums and the letters from fans. Recipients of gifts were F.I. Chaliapin, G.N. Fedotova, M.N. Yermolova, A.N. Ostrovsky, I.M. Moskvin.

Fund has the collections of prop weapons, fans, theatre telescopes and binoculars, which Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin began to collect. Sculpture fund is also unique: it includes around 1 thousand units. Sculpture is made from various materials: plaster cast, metal, bronze, marble, stone, wood, terracotta.

Collection presents the sculptural portraits of famous actors, musicians, composers, theatre critics, ballet dancers of the middle of XIX – beginning of XXI centuries, made by well-known sculptors: N.A. Andreyev, A.V. Balashov, V.A. Beklemishev, I.P. Vitali, S.M. Volnukhin, M.A. Vrubel, I.Y. Gintsburg, I.P. Kavaleridze, A.N. Kostromitin, A.N. Kutukova, G.D. Lavrov, Lina Po, S.N. Sudbinin, Paolo Trubetskoy, B.O. Fredman-Kluzel, M.I. Tseidler, E.A. Yanson-Manizer, David, Dantan, Delagrange, Dursi.

Fund also possesses the auto portraits made by A.P. Lensky, S.I. Mamontov, F.I. Chaliapin, M.M. Fokin.

Fund has a collection of hand castings of famous Soviet actors, made by sculptor K.L. Lutskoy, a collection of death masks of prominent Soviet actors of XX century and a collection of sculptural cartoons, made by famous sculptor-caricaturist of the middle of XIX century N.A. Stepanov.

Exhibits stored in the memorial objects department create the atmosphere of living history, continuity of traditions, and allow touching the past of theatre and feeling its uniqueness.

Director of the Memorial Objects Fund Department: Anna Alexandrovna Zakurdaeva.

Tel.: +7 /495/ 959 22 15