History and culture: “Sheremetevs are Over at Yusupovs. Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev and His Gravure Gallery” exhibition in Moscow

A new exhibition entitled “Sheremetevs are Over at Yusupovs. Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev and His Gravure Gallery,” prepared by the “Ostankino” Moscow Museum-Estate, opened in the “Arkhangelskoye” State National Park and Museum (Moscow).

A date of the exhibition opening, ­June 28, 2016, is timed to the 265th anniversary of the birth of Count Nikolai Sheremetev (1751-1809), a founder of the Strannopreimny (which is accepting pilgrims) House, an owner of one of the best Russian serfs theaters, a patron of the arts.

Set to this date exhibition is biographical in its nature, with a purpose to show the basic realities of life and multifaceted activities of N. P. Sheremetev. Brilliantly versatile and educated man, who made a significant contribution to the history of the national theater, architecture, collectible, public education, and charity, can rightly be called one of the most prominent representatives of the Russian culture of the XVIII - the early XIX centuries. A heritage of N. P. Sheremetev is huge - there are the monuments of secular and church architecture, a variety of art collections and a huge library, which is making up a large part of the museum and the library fund of the country.

The gravure galleries, unlike art galleries, appeared in Europe quite late - in the last quarter of the XVIII century. It was connected with the change of historical styles and with the rapid development at the same time of the prints genre, taking the wider areas of a subject matter of artistic endeavor, and finally, with a new enlightened view on a figure of the connoisseur and lover of the arts himself.

Today, when Ostankino Palace, just entered a period of a many years scientific restoration, the invitation of the “Arkhangelsk” Museum-estate allows presenting to modern viewers this rare type of interior, organized within the premises of the Yusupov Palace. Another goal of this exhibition is to remind once again to the Moscow audience of the existence of such a beautiful monument, as the Palace Theater in Ostankino, and of such an extraordinary historical figure as Count Nikolai Sheremetev.

From the remaining books, in which the guests, who were visiting Sheremetev, had been recording themselves, is known that N. B. Yusupov was often over his places, including the Ostankino. As for Sheremetev, he had never been in Arkhangelskoye and was not able to be, because he died a year and a half before Yusupov bought the estate. So this exhibition is a kind of imaginary visit that Count Nikolai Sheremetev “pays” to Prince Nikolai Borisovich Yusupov, “bringing” with him some of what he was cared for and proud of.