Description of the attraction
The permanent historical exposition of the Museum of the History of Veliky Ustyug is located in the main museum building, namely in the house of the merchant G. V. Usova, which is located on the embankment of the city. The exposition will acquaint visitors with the historical development of the famous city of the 12-20 centuries.
The Usov House is a two-storey house made in the classicism style of the late 18th century. During its long history, the mansion has changed more than one owner and has undergone significant changes in its architecture. In the early 40s of the 19th century, the house was in the possession of the heir - the son of a famous merchant who belonged to the second guild, Usov Grigory Vasilyevich. It is worth noting that Usov during 1828-1852 was the mayor and was the owner of the second house, located on Uspenskaya Street, where the House of Culture now stands.
After the death of Grigory Usov, the first house passed into the hands of the deceased's wife, but already in 1866 she sold the mansion with its family chambers for the so-called "city places", which was directly related to the city government. At this time, the mansion ceased to be residential and began to be used as an administrative building. After the formation of the Severo-Dvinsk province, the house passed into the possession of the provincial institutions. In the early 1930s, the "Usovsky House" was transferred to the museum.
The Museum of the History of Veliky Ustyug presents unique originals of the 17th century: cut-through chests, carved wooden candlesticks, jewelry, coins, products with enamel, printed canvases, samples of agramants, ribbons and foreign fabrics - all this presents the city of Veliky Ustyug as the largest trade is a craft center located in the Russian North.
The exposition of the art department is represented by a collection of graphics, painting, as well as decorative and applied art. In order to find the first exhibits, the museum staff spent a lot of time on numerous expeditions, corresponded with the State Fund and central museums, and established contacts with local artists. Thanks to precisely this energetic activity, the works of A. M. Korina, I. M. Pryanishkov, as well as the Ustyug masters P. Ya. Kostrova, I. I. Shishkin, V. D. Polenov and many others.
The pearl of the museum's collection fund is the legacy of the ancient storage - a collection of provincial portrait painting of the late 18th - first half of the 19th century, which is represented by portraits of M. V. Lomonosov, Catherine II, bishops of Totem and Veliky Ustyug Bogolep, Alexander, as well as portraits of famous Ustyug merchants L. G. Zakharova, G. V. Usova, A. M. Buldakov and his wife.
The museum displays items related to the heyday of the Ustyug mob of the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. The rabble made in Veliky Ustyug is gaining all-Russian glory. The high level of development of the niello art of the 18th century is evidenced by the work of the master Ivan Ostrovsky - a three-part tabernacle with the image of a niello engraving on a shot gilded background. The more modern niello art of the 30s - early 60s of the 20th century is characterized by amazing products by the masters of the Severnaya rabbit artel, which were made according to the sketches of the artistic director E. P. Shilnikovsky, who significantly enriched the ancient craft with his new designs of ornamental and subject compositions.
The original artistic craft of Veliky Ustyug is not only carving, but also painting on birch bark. The beginning of this craft dates back to the 18th century, and it appeared in the Shemogorod volost of the Veliky Ustyug district. This kind of art is based on the motive of a curling run, indicated by spiral curls, as well as round rosettes, sprinkled with a shallow slot. It is these patterns that decorate the surfaces of tues, caskets, boxes, decorative plates and many other products. Using the natural beauty of materials, famous Ustyug carvers create true works of art in their hands.
The amazing life of Veliky Ustyug of the 19th and 20th centuries reflects the unique monuments of culture and historical development of this period of time. Some complexes are dedicated to merchants, local history and the opening of a church ancient storage.
