History and culture: The unique exposition of the Portrait Gallery of the Estate “Kuskovo” opened

September 29, 2015 at the Museum-Estate "Kuskovo" (Moscow) is opening the exhibition of the Portrait Gallery, founded in the XVIII century by Count P. B. Sheremetev.

Portrait Gallery of the Kuskovo estate is one of the most valuable collections of domestic portraiture and genuine rarity of Russian culture of the XVIII century.

The distribution of these galleries was the result of special interest to the nobility of national and world history, the deeds of their ancestors. They were also designed to perpetuate the race and indicate highborn of the owners.

In this seriesthe Kuskovo Portrait Gallery occupies a special place. Founded in the second half of the XVIII century by Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev, it is a unique collection of portraiture of the XVIII century. Gallery consists of portraits of Russian and European "nice person", placed in accordance with the selected system and the Count number. 

By identifying it is found out that of the 128 portraits of the original collection 120 works have been existed. Thus, almost completely preserved Kuskovo gallery has become a unique concentration of portraiture of the XVIII century and today remains the only integrated collection once existed among these manors meetings.

The portrait gallery is complemented by pieces of furniture, sculpture and decorative arts, reproducing the historical and artistic environment of the XVIII century. This exhibition for the first time since its disbandment in 1814 presents the portrait gallery in the maximum fullness and in the same complex.