Description of the attraction
The largest museum in the entire north of the region is the Vologda State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, which is part of the oldest ensemble of monuments of the 16-19 centuries at the Vologda Kremlin. The historical development of the museum begins in the 19th century. The first museum that was opened in the city was the "Petrovsky House", which began its work in 1885. Throughout 1896, the Diocesan Ancient Storehouse was opened in Vologda, and in 1911 an art gallery and the Museum of Homeland Studies were opened. On March 13, 1923, according to the decision of the Vologda Provincial Executive Committee, all existing museums were merged into one, called the Vologda State United Museum. By the decree of the Council of Ministers of 1988, the Vologda State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve was officially established.
The stock collections of the Vologda Museum number over 450 thousand exhibits. The collection of iconic carvings and wood sculptures has a vast geographic reach. The exposition presents statuary, iconostasis, iconostasis sculpture, small plastic arts of the 16-19th centuries, as well as decorative carvings of the lost city iconostases. The museum houses one of the most unique collections dedicated to ancient Russian painting, numbering about 4 thousand exhibits. It presents: "The Old Testament Trinity", the icon "Dmitry Prilutsky" and "Assumption", dating back to the 15th century.
The museum has a collection of oil paintings, in which the provincial secular and clerical portraits of the 18-19 centuries, which are closely related to the Parsun painting tradition, as well as the painting of a miniature portrait of the 19th century, play an important role. The graphic collection is characterized by unique exhibits of foreign graphics, which were obtained from local noble estates. The collection includes works by N. A. Dmitrievsky, G. N. Burmagin, V. I. Pchelina.
The most complete collection of fabrics is made up of ethnographic collections, which indicate all the features of the folk costume of almost all areas of the Vologda region. The collection contains examples of clothing from the 17th-20th centuries, for example, a female Old Believer costume made up of a blouse, shirt, headscarf and religious items. The museum has about 3500 items: peasant lace, gold lace, products of the Soviet era.
The collection of household wood is represented by a collection of spinning wheels not only in the Vologda, but also in the Arkhangelsk regions. There is a collection of tools for cattle breeding, agriculture, flax growing, as well as various other trades. The collection of ceramics has 4 thousand items and reflects the collection of Veliky Ustyug tiles and porcelain, tableware and items of the pottery workshop.
The archaeological fund contains collections and objects that characterize the development of social relations and industrial culture of the Mesolithic and the Middle Ages. The museum also has collections of numismatics, photographs and negatives, pearl and metal products and a book fund.
