March 26, 2020 This painting is on the lid of a Palekh lacquer box (only 4 inches x 6 inches!) from the Museum’s permanent collection. Palekh lacquer is a traditional Russian craft. But what is this guy in fancy dress doing with a frog? The fancy dress is easy since he is a Tsar’s son, […] Read more
March 24, 2020 Here is a peek-preview of our new exhibition “Leaders and the Masses” that was scheduled to open in early April but was halted by the pandemic. No matter what, our small crew, carefully practicing social distancing, managed to install most of it — to reopen when the virus is defeated. The image […] Read more
March 23, 2020 This samovar, decorated in the Khokhloma style, was donated to our museum today! Thank you, dear donor, for your generosity that nothing can stand in the way of, even during this nasty pandemic! What is a samovar? According to Fedor Dostoevsky, “A samovar is the most necessary Russian thing, and all the […] Read more
March 20, 2020 This Icon was painted in the 19th century in Russia. There are no records of how this icon got into this country, but we can learn some things just from looking at it. For example, we know what it is called based on how Mary and infant Jesus are depicted. It is […] Read more
March 19, 2020 If you are a character in a Russian fairytale and you seek help, where would you go? Away from the crowds (as we all should be doing now) into the dark wild forest, and you would find a house on chicken feet, and you would ask the house to turn its back […] Read more
