8 September 2017 – 5 November 2017

The "Russian Royal and Imperial Hunting in the 17th–18th Centuries. From The Moscow Kremlin Museums' Collection" exhibition held at the Shemanovskiy Yamal-Nenets District Museum and Exhibition Complex is dedicated to hunting, one of the most popular entertainments of the Russian tsars and emperors. It was an important part of the court ceremonial, aimed at demonstrating the sovereign's splendour and majesty, authority and power to his subjects and foreign guests.

The display introduces the audience to the wonderful masterpieces which have been stored at the Armoury Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin for centuries. None of the Russian museums possesses a collection of art and historic rarities of this kind.  The reason is that the Moscow Kremlin played an exceptional role as the centre of sovereignty and the place where both the Royal and the Armoury Treasuries were housed. Here, at the Kremlin workshops extant hunting arms and armour for the Russian tsars were produced. In 1810, the ancient treasury was completed with collections of emperors’ and empresses' hunting arms from the Rustkammer of St. Petersburg.

Over eighteen unique objects tell about different types of hunting, as well as about tastes and personal preferences of the Russian tsars and emperors of the 17th–18th centuries.

The display begins with the sections dedicated to the Armoury and the Stables Treasuries—it is hard to imagine the 17th-century treasury of the Russian sovereigns without them.

Rare exhibits of the royal travel equipment, which create a bright image of a ceremonial departure of the tsar and his retinue for hunting, are displayed in the “Royal Departure for Hunting” section.

Other sections represent hunting preferences of the first tsars of the Romanov Dynasty. Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich preferred riding to hounds and bear baiting. The exhibition displays both steel damascened spears, which were used to hunt a bear, and charms with bear claw serving as hunting amulets. Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich most passionately loved falconry with hunting birds, which involved the use of a bow in bow case and arrows in a quiver, also displayed at the exhibition. A shell bugle used to signal the start of the hunt adorns the exposition. Harquebuses, key objects of the museum collection, made by the Kremlin armourers, as well as carbines, powder flasks, and cartridge boxes were used to hunt forest animals.

In the 18th century, hunting became an amazing gallant entertainment enjoyed by Emperor Peter II, Empresses Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II. The display presents pieces owned by the Russian sovereigns, which are the best works of the leading Russian and Western European armoury centres. For the first time, the exhibition introduces the dirk blade and guard, belonging to Prince A. G. Dolgorukov, who participated in hunting with Emperor Peter II, to the public. The display includes rare weapons from the collection of Peter III, such as the pump air gun, rifle, arbalest and others. Of special interest are objects of “par force” hunting (when dogs drove game), such as collars and leash. The guns with monograms of Empresses Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II reflect fashion and preferences of Royal huntresses.

The exhibition introduces the audience to the bright world of the 17th and 18th-century court life and is worth visiting for everyone interested in the Russian history, culture and art.