Moscow Kremlin Museums: - Russian Feast - Traditional Foods, Drinks and the Art of Table Setting. From the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums

Russian Feast - Traditional Foods, Drinks and the Art of Table Setting. From the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums

Ewer and basin
Poland, Wschowa (Fraustadt), last quarter of the 17th century
Master-monogrammist MR Silver; chasing, punching, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The ewer is made in the shape of a fantastic animal with a removable head and a “bagpipe” body. This piece was made for fun, as it is both a vessel for water and a toy that makes a sound when someone blows on its pipes. The basin is decorated with chased representations of shells and bunches of fruit.
Monteith from the Olympic service
France, Sèvres, Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
Porcelain; overglaze painting, gilding, sculpture modelling, glazing
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

Ordered and executed for the wedding of Jérôme Bonaparte and Princess Katharina Friederike of Württemberg. Napoleon Bonaparte presented this porcelain set to Emperor Alexander I in 1807 to mark the conclusion of the Treaties of Tilsit.
Dish
Hamburg, 1688-1691 Silversmith Jürgen Richels
Silver; chasing, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

An unusual square dish with a round, flat base is part of a set of 12 pieces of the same shape but different sizes. They come from the treasury of the Russian Tsars and could have been used for serving food at ceremonial feasts. These sets could also have been displayed in specially designed cupboards and sideboards next to convivial tables. The decreasing size of the dishes allowed them to be placed on top of each other, creating a spectacular pyramidal composition.
Drinking ladle (kovsh) of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov
Russia, Moscow, Moscow Kremlin Workshops, 1624
Gold, silver, pearls, precious stones; chasing, carving, forging, niello
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums
Decorative towel
Russia, 17th century
Canvas, silver-gilt thread, silk thread; weaving, sewing
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The embroidery on the towel is done in a double-sided stitch 'on the opening', which looks the same from both the front and the back. Obviously, the towel with embroidered state emblems - double-headed eagles - was not intended for wiping hands, but could be used as a decoration with precious ewers at feasts, offering ceremonies and other official receptions. This type of towel is typical of ornamental products, where the practical purpose was less important than the richness of the design.
Dish cover from the Mitava service
Saint Petersburg, 1782
Silversmith Justus Nicolaus Lundt
Silver; casting, chasing
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The cover is part of a service made especially for the Mitava Governorate – an administrative territorial unit of the Russian Empire. Over 22 silver services were created by the best craftsman on behalf of Catherine the Great to be sent to different regions of the country. These sets were a state property and were meant to be used by the governors on "highly solemn and other festive days".
Pan and cover
Vologda, 1837
Silversmith S.I. Skripitsyn
Silver; niello, casting, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The pan with a niello depiction of St Petersburg and a map of the Vologda Governorate was part of a table service purchased by Nicholas I at the 5th 'Exhibition of Russian Manufactured Objects' held in St Petersburg in 1839.
Cheese dome with base
Saint Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Factory, 1830-1840s
Glass; carving, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The appearance of hard cheese in the Russian diet is linked to the famous journey of the then young Tsar Peter I to Holland in 1697-1698, from which he brought back many foreign experts, including several cheese-makers, whom the Tsar wanted to turn into tutors for Russian artisans.
Samovar
Warsaw, Josef Fraget firm
Copper, wood; chasing, engraving, mounting, turning woodwork, casting, silvering
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

In Russia, the samovar was not just a device for heating water, but a symbol of Russian hospitality, the fireside and cosiness, a kind of 'domestic deity'. The great writer Fyodor Dostoevsky said that "the samovar is the most necessary Russian object". It is known that samovars have been used in Russia since the middle of the 18th century, when tea became an integral part of Russian life. In the 19th century cheap enough copper samovars for a wide range of customers were produced by many factories and small concerns, mainly in the city of Tula, while expensive, silver ones were made in the capitals – Moscow and St Petersburg, and they decorated the tables of only rich people. They were made of cheap, non-precious metals and plated with silver.
Saltsellat
Russia, Moscow, 1876
Silver; stamp, carving, flat chasing, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums
Inkstand
Western Europe, mid-19th century
Silver; chasing, casting, punching
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The inkstand is made of silver in the shape of a realistically simulated apple, pear and pomegranate, resting on a leaf. In the 18th century, silver tea and coffee services in the shape of fruit were created by Dutch masters. This artistic tradition remained popular in the mid-19th century as well, especially in England.
Sugar bowl
Moscow, 11th Moscow Artel, 1908-1917
Silver; enamel on filigree, engine-turning, gilding, mounting
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

In the 19th century, sugar went from being a luxury imported from overseas to a mass domestic product, and in the period between the abolition of serfdom and the First World War, Russia became a sugar exporter. The owners of the largest sugar factories were some of the richest people in the empire.
Carafe
Russia, late 19th – early 20th century; mounting – O.F. Kurlyukov’s firm, crystal – Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsov’s factory
Silver, crystal; casting, gilding, cutting, chasing
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

This magnificent pair of crystal carafes, designed for both strong and soft drinks, is made in the Art Nouveau style. The crystal bodies of the carafes were made by the Maltsov factory and the silver mountings were made by one of Russia's finest jewellery companies – Orest Kurlyukov’s firm. The transparent crystal is decorated with facets and engravings. The first Maltsovs’ factory was established near Moscow in 1724, but soon the activity of glass factories in the Moscow region was banned due to deforestation. In 1756 their new factory was opened in the town now called Gus-Khrustalny, after the factory that still operates there. Today it is the largest glass factory in Russia.
Dish
Moscow, I.P. Khlebnikov’s firm, 1912
Wood, silver; carving, stamp, mounting
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The ancient tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages, of welcoming the guest of honour with bread and salt was introduced into the official court ceremonial of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. During coronations, tours of the country and other official events, bread and salt were presented to the monarch on decorated dishes by representatives of estates, societies, guilds and military units. The dishes were made of silver, wood and other materials to a special order and were marked with the name of the presenter and the date on which the gift was presented. This dish is decorated with a silver plaque depicting the monograms of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas II, as well as the new Borodino Bridge over the Moskva River, which became a memorial to the heroes of the war with Napoleonic France.
Plate with the inscription "No Work is No Food" and V.I. Lenin’s portrait
Porcelain – Russian Empire, Saint Petersburg, Imperial Porcelain Factory, 1904; painting – RSFSR, Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), State Porcelain Factory, 1922
Author of the composition – M.M. Adamovich
V.I. Lenin’s portrait is made after the drawing of I.I. Altman
Porcelain; overglaze painting, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

In the 1920s the so-called proletarian style gained popularity, which was also reflected in Soviet propaganda porcelain with revolutionary slogans and images. It was assumed that such utensils would be organically incorporated into the everyday lives of Soviet citizens. However, they were never offered for sale. The limited edition porcelain items were highly sought after by foreign collectors. One of the most famous pieces of propaganda porcelain is a plate with the inscription 'No Work is No Food'. This aphorism, derived from Christian texts, was proclaimed by Vladimir Lenin as a revolutionary slogan and socialist principle, and later included in the Soviet constitution.
Wine set
Czechoslovak Republic, Lednické Rovne, Ceramic and Glass Factory, 1949
Crystal; faceting, etching, gilding
@The Moscow Kremlin Museums

Couvert, or a complete set for one person, includes a decanter, a flute, a shot glass, a glass and a tumbler, designed to serve a variety of drinks. It is an integral part of a large wine set presented by the Czechoslovak leadership to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR I.V. Stalin on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

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20 November 2024 – 16 March 2025

National Museum of China, Beijing

Organized by

The Moscow Kremlin Museums, National Museum of China

Participant:

The Moscow Kremlin Museums

The exhibition "Russian Feast - Traditional Food, Drinks and the Art of Table Setting. From the Collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums" marks the beginning of a large-scale exchange programme organised by the National Museum of China and the Moscow Kremlin Museums being a part of the general activities of the Russian-Chinese Year of Culture 2024-2025. The project of the Moscow Kremlin Museums in Beijing coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations.

The display in the halls of the National Museum of China acquaints visitors with the rich traditions of gastronomy and table culture in Russia and represents real gems from the collection of the oldest museum in our country – the Armoury Chamber. These are exceptional samples of silver, porcelain and glass vessels, serving and kitchen utensils, table decorations, costumes and paintings. A special place is given to rarities that are both of high artistic and memorable value – the personal belongings of the Russian rulers and eminent statesmen, together with the diplomatic gifts that were presented to them.A wide range of artefacts will be shown for the first time.

Covering a vast period from the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century, the exhibition uncovers various aspects of the centuries-old history of Russian cuisine, with its originality and simultaneous aspiration for novelty, for mastering and developing foreign experience in cooking, serving and table etiquette. The traditions of the Russian table go back to ancient times: they have been formed over the centuries under the influence of natural, historical, socio-economic conditions, religious foundations and cultural exchanges with neighbouring countries. The 16th and 17th centuries were the heyday of the original Russian cuisine, which featured the same food tastes and preparation methods among the nobility and the common people, as well as the uniformity of types and shapes of kitchen utensils and tableware The changes initiated by Emperor Peter the Great and his entourage at the beginning of the 18th century affected all aspects of social life and served as an impetus for changes in the food preferences of the nobility, in the appearance and ceremonial of court and aristocratic feasts. From the 18th to the early 20th century, Russian high society developed a sophisticated gastronomic culture in which exotic delicacies and culinary masterpieces created a virtuoso 'symphony' of flavours, while their fanciful decoration delighted the eyes of the discerning public.

The first part of the exposition tells about the food that was common in Russia and how various dishes were prepared. The second section recreates the setting and atmosphere of ceremonial meals formerly held within the walls of the Moscow Kremlin: royal feasts, coronation banquets and official government receptions of the Soviet era. As an important part of festivals and celebrations, the feast in Russia has long been not only a colourful event, but also an embodiment of the aesthetic ideas of its time, a space for dialogue between tastes and trends, not only culinary but also artistic, which is reflected in the third and final section of the exhibition focusing on food as a special art form.

This exhibition will undoubtedly become an important milestone in the fruitful cooperation between the Moscow Kremlin Museums and the National Museum of China, contributing to the further growth and strengthening of cultural relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.