Excursion to the Pushkin Museum, Egyptian Hall. The main building of the Pushkin Museum – ii. How to get to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

An interesting study was started at the Kurchatov Institute, the same institute that was created by Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov, the father of the Soviet atomic bomb. Explore Egyptian mummies with your own modern technology. The mummies were taken from the museum. This is a joint project of the Kurchatov Institute and the Pushkin Museum.

Scientists hope to get new information about the distant past. What illnesses did people have in Ancient Egypt, how they were treated, how they ate. It's better to understand how they lived thousands of years ago. Let's hope the mummies don't come back to life after these high-tech exercises.

The world gets used to modern technologies quite quickly. It no longer surprises anyone that a CT scanner can tell literally everything about a patient.

“Before you is the cocoon of this mummy. And with X-ray tomography you can see the details. You see, the whole picture appears before you. Well, now from here you can do a set of anthropological, medical, forensic, genetic, chemical, physico-chemical studies and so on. That is, a new planet is opening up before you,” says Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The President of the Kurchatov Institute, Mikhail Kovalchuk, is not exaggerating - hundreds of books have been written about the life of the ancient Egyptians, and in them thousands of versions of the development of civilization, which archaeologists have been arguing about for decades, based on rare finds and scraps of descriptions from thousands of years ago, and now something appears that you can literally touch - and even more. 3D printed skull model Egyptian mummy may, it turns out, tell an incredible amount.

“You can make an impression using a fundamentally new technological approach - once. The second thing, the next step is culture, we have it very well high level- at the Institute of Ethnology, in particular, there was such a Gerasimov, then academician Alekseev, you can now restore the appearance, the face from the skull, this is the basis, for this we are already taking the next step to restore the real appearance of the face,” explains the president of the Scientific Research Center “ Kurchatov Institute", Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Kovalchuk.

And this is no longer just a skull. The Pushkin Museum admits that it was not easy to decide on such a project - priceless exhibits rarely leave the museum walls, but here is a large-scale study - how not to worry? But already the first results changed the idea of ​​what had been before our eyes for so many years.

There are still paleogenetic studies ahead, they will tell even more. For the director of the Pushkin Museum, Marina Loshak, cooperation with the Kurchatov Institute was a real revelation - who would have thought what could be achieved by ending the eternal dispute between physicists and lyricists.

“Not every country has the opportunities that the Kurchatov Institute can provide us with the full range of diverse knowledge. This is not only about modern installations and devices, not only about CATE and MRI. But the point is who are the scientists who are engaged in this research with them, thanks to which we can get an idea about the person whom we now actually call the word mummy, about his structural features, about his diseases,” - Director of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkina Marina Loshak.

Diseases of the ancients are another discovery. Although we are separated by millennia, if you look at it, it’s not that far modern man left the Egyptian pharaohs.

“It opens completely new world, which will help you and I better understand the nature of diseases and what is happening to us. You know, we often talk about the fact that, say, osteochondrosis or periodontal disease is a disease of modern civilization. But, you see, these people whom we now see in the form of mummies, they sometimes have pronounced symptoms of what is called osteochondrosis or periodontal disease, and so on. That is, in fact, there are a lot of interesting things here,” notes Mikhail Kovalchuk.

There is so much that it is enough for dozens of scientific papers, and yet the project is still approximately halfway through. But it is already obvious: visitors to the Pushkin Museum will soon see a completely different Egyptian hall, and the familiar word “mummy” will perhaps receive a new meaning.

“The main revelation from a person with imagination is the visualization and idea that we are talking about a specific biological being that had its own life, its own context of life within this historical period. He had his own worries, his own life traumas, he lived, he ceased to be just an object of art, or part of an object of art, or not just a museum exhibit. We brought closer to ourselves real life real person“- notes Marina Loshak.

This is what the lyricists got - physicists seem to think globally. For them, working with the Pushkin Museum, a place where artifacts of the past are stored, turned out to be, in a sense, a door to the future.

“Today we are present with you at a paradigm shift in the development of science. Today we have a merging of the humanities and natural sciences. scientific knowledge, which for 300 years divided into two independent branches. It would seem that the Kurchatov Institute, the place where the country’s nuclear shield was created, nuclear submarines, and this spotlight is as bright as it illuminated at one time, drawing the contours of a nuclear breakthrough, in the same way it looks towards culture, art and living life. Because this is a kind of frozen, but living life that once existed,” says Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Scientists still have hundreds of analyzes and studies to do. The result joint project The Pushkin Museum and Kurchatov Institute will host an exhibition, it should open in 2019. Visitors here are already promised that there will be something to be surprised by.

The Museum of Fine Arts was conceived as a guide to the study of history, so the transition from hall to hall was like a transition to a later era. And the first hall on this path was the Egyptian Hall of the Museum. Hall number one. The rest were supposed to follow him in “a strict system, in order of historical sequence” (from the note of I.V. Tsvetaev “University Museum fine arts in Moscow")

The Egyptian Hall of the Museum was and is now located on the first floor to the left of the vertibulum and communicates with one of the entrances to the museum. This wing is, as it were, turned off from the central axis of the Museum: the vestibule, staircase, Central Hall, and is therefore not related to them stylistically.

To attract donors, I.V. Tsvetaev came up with a “bait that would help raise funds for the construction of the Museum.” The Regulations on the Committee stated that persons who allocated money for the construction of a particular hall “received the right to apply for the assignment of any name to this hall.” The Egyptian Hall is located on special situation. At a meeting of the Committee for the Organization of the Museum on March 16, 1899, Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsov was honored on the occasion of his 65th birthday. At this meeting, the Committee decided to name the Egyptian Hall of the Museum, built on general funds Committee. However, already in a letter dated November 5, 1898, Tsvetaev writes to Nechaev-Maltsov: “Before we thought about the Doric character of the decoration of the lobby, but now we are thinking about the Egyptian: let it open the history of art and lead to your hall.” Perhaps this was facilitated by the fact that it was Nechaev-Maltsov’s parcel from Cairo that was the first contribution made to the Egyptian collection of the museum.

The decoration of the Egyptian Hall was carried out by R. Klein and Nivinsky, but Ivan Vladimirovich could not leave a single corner of his museum unattended.

“How nice it would be to imitate an ancient Egyptian pylon at the entrance to... the hall, laying it out of brick or even decorative painting. Just as pylons served as facades of Egyptian temples, so this painted or plaster pylon would lead into the first hall of the Museum. What a joy it would be to decorate this hall has a couple of Egyptian columns different types"- he wrote to Nechaev-Maltsov.

And in 1909 he writes to R.I. Klein: “Egyptologist Golenishchev pointed out to me the just published English edition one grave with a ceiling in colors from Kites, personifying the sun. It will be effective and true. We will plant them on beams, and between them we will dot the areas only with stars, signs of the zodiac, but not with paintings of an everyday nature, which do not go to the ceiling (the “sky”).”

with papyrus columns, with kites on the ceiling...

and with a unique collection in the cabinets

Before the creation of the Museum, Tsvetaev had not been to Egypt. For the first time, this thought probably came to him while looking at the papyri that Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsev sent from Cairo. But already in December 1908, Tsvetaev wrote: “Before I die, I want to visit the country of the pyramids.” Just at this time he was sent an invitation to the II International Archaeological Congress in Cairo. He rejoices like a child. He writes humorous letters to N.I. Romanov in Athens: “... all of Egypt, they say, fell into mourning when the news spread across it that I had not arrived at the congress. But the very next day they almost broke down the congress building when the population of Cairo learned about my appearance under the Egyptian sky.” and also “Mospero, in order to calm the Arab crowds and satisfy the curiosity of delegates around the world, scheduled my conference for a quarter of an hour after my arrival.” Tsvetaev is happy with such attention and modestly describes his rhetorical successes: “The Demosthenian techniques of delivering a speech to the lapping of the sea waves, which I indulged in at my leisure in the cabin of the ship, sitting on the bunk by the hatch, came in handy for me here. I thus adapted the speech to my clumsy, Vladimir seminarian lingua - and the whole thing was such a triumph that the windows almost burst and the ceiling of the hall collapsed from the applause.”

The hall was ready by December 1911, and Tsvetaev wrote a letter to Professor B.A. Turaev: “I respectfully ask you, if you find it possible, to take over the duties of the head Egyptian hall January 2 next year." B.A. Turaev agrees and soon Tsvetaev receives a letter from M.V. Nikolsky: “I am heartily glad that you managed to attract my deeply respected friend, Prof. B.A. Turaev, to the Museum to manage the collection of V.S. Golenishchev. This is truly happiness sent by fate.”

Of course, we will not cover everything at once, standing in the middle of the Egyptian Hall of the Museum. We need to return to museums; they don’t like fuss, but they respond to attention and patience. Therefore, we will learn about V.S. Golenishchev and his collection, about B.A. Turaev, and about much more when we return to the most mysterious hall of the Museum of Fine Arts.

A. VENEDIKTOV: It’s already 10:17 in Moscow, and literally in 2 minutes we have the “Museum Chambers”. And our guest will be Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. We will talk about mummies, scarabs, and pyramids, and what actually is in this room. For now, I would like to play books with you, too, as before, but now based on ancient Egypt. And my question will be this. What sacred and beloved animal was widespread in Egypt. It was not only sacred, because crocodiles, as you know, were also sacred. But speaking of a sacred and beloved animal that was widespread in Egypt, you can tell me about it by sending me an SMS to +7-985-970-45-45. And we are playing books by Dmitry Meeks and Christine Favar-Meeks " Everyday life Egyptian gods." It turns out that the Egyptian gods also had a daily life. 10 copies, publishing house "Young Guard", 2008. So, “The Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods.” What sacred and beloved animal was widespread in Egypt. +7-985-970-45-45. And I remind you that today is still the day of memory of Vladimir Vysotsky.

A. VENEDIKTOV: You are listening to “Museum Chambers”. Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum, is visiting us. Good morning.

O. VASILYEVA: Good morning, hello.

A. VENEDIKTOV: First question right away, is your favorite exhibit in the Museum of Ancient Egypt?

O. VASILYEVA: You know, my favorite exhibit is those figurines that greet us at the entrance to the hall, unique wooden figurines of the priest Amenhotep and his wife Rannai. Amazing things, and truly unique, because there are very few of them in the world. And I am very glad that our museum also has such things.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Where did you get them from?

O. VASILYEVA: They were found in a cache in the Karnak Temple - this is a huge cache where all sorts of figurines and other things were literally dumped, fragments of limestone, written documents were found, including these paired figurines.

A. VENEDIKTOV: What do you mean dumped? Are they dumped in hiding places?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, because for safety purposes. The fact is that these figurines are vative offerings, that is, offerings as a gift to the gods so that these people are present before God. It was the god Amon main god at the Karnak Temple. But when there were a lot of such figurines, the priests tried to preserve them from some kind of encroachment, and such did happen, and they arranged such hiding places. But the safety of these caches was also compromised; unfortunately, they were rummaged through, and therefore, when archaeologists discovered them, such a mess reigned there. Golenishchev managed to acquire these figures. This is Vladimir Semyonovich Golenishchev, this is the man who created our Egyptian collection. And thanks to his skill, he knew Arabic perfectly, he knew how to find the right people, who sold him these valuable things. Therefore, he contacted such “Black” archaeologists, so to speak. modern language who are engaged in illegal excavations. But the fact is that in Egypt at that time, that is, the end of the 19th century, there were a lot of black excavations. And some Arab, we don’t know his name, sold just these figurines to Golenishchev.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Are they now in the museum?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, now they stand in our hall, as soon as you enter it, right in the display case under a glass cover you see these people standing.

A. VENEDIKTOV: You said that they are rare, and why are they rare, if all the Egyptians had to appear before the gods like this, then there should have been a lot of these figurines.

O. VASILYEVA: Firstly, not everyone, only high-ranking Egyptians had such a privilege. IN in this case this is a priest, one of the main priests of the temple of Amun, his wife, who was a singer of the god Amun. She sang hymns and played the harp.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is this all in churches?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, in the temple. And only very rich people could afford to make such figurines. And preservation, you know, unfortunately, few things have been preserved in Egypt. This is especially true for wooden things.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I just wanted to ask, where did the tree come from?

O. VASILYEVA: I will say this later. There was, of course, a lot of wood there, acacia and fig trees, but these things were made of a very rare type of wood. This is ebony, but there are a lot of ebony species in Africa. And this tree was brought from Nubia, the country of Kush. That is, its price was enormous, it was even higher than gold.

A. VENEDIKTOV: There was more gold than wood, at least we know that.

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, so these are really rare things, and they are made with amazing craftsmanship. These are truly masterpieces. If you look at them, they look like they are alive. This amazing property Egyptian portrait. On the one hand, a frozen mask-like face, on the other hand, living eyes that look at you in surprise, and as if through you.

A. VENEDIKTOV: How old are these figurines?

O. VASILYEVA: You know, this is the 15th century before new era. This is the era of Queen Hatshipsud.

A. VENEDIKTOV: That is, only 3.5 thousand years?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, by Egyptian standards everything, but by ours there is a lot.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I remind our listeners that we are playing the books “The Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods.” And the question was: what is a sacred and beloved animal, but it is unlikely, as they answer me here, the skorobey was a favorite animal, and it is unlikely that the skorobey can be called an animal, but it is also doubtful that it was a beloved one, sacred yes, but they treated him carefully. You’ve seen enough of the movie “The Mummy,” you know. Our listener who asks you a question via the Internet. He asks: “In the Egyptian hall to the left of the entrance hangs a very strange image of the god Anubis. There's a dog's head there, but human body drawn in a completely different way from the traditional Egyptian manner. Tell me."

O. VASILYEVA: As I understand it, this is the first hall at the entrance to the museum. Because if you enter the Egyptian hall, then there is nothing hanging there to the left of the entrance, but the first hall that greets us is the hall of Greco-Roman Egypt, which is already late. This is Hellenistic Egypt, where the Fayum portraits are.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Yes. By the way, he asks about the Fayum portraits.

O. VASILYEVA: Probably this room is meant. There is a wonderful thing hanging there, it is a funeral shroud, or shroud, in which the deceased was wrapped, and it is framed like a painting, that is, inserted into a frame under glass. By the way, this is a Golenishchev frame from those times. It depicts a deceased Roman, he is in such a white toga, and indeed he is accompanied to the kingdom of the dead by two deities, Siris in the form of a mummy, and this same Anubis.

A. VENEDIKTOV: According to the idea, Anubis with the head of a jackal. As watchers of the movie The Mummy, we should know.

O. VASILYEVA: That’s right, this is the head of a jackal. This is the absolute jackal Anubis, and he has a solar disk on his head. As for the clothing, the human body there is also completely in the Egyptian traditions, because it is all turned inside out, there is both a profile and a full face, these images, traditional for Egypt, are combined. But in general this veil is already too late, it Roman time, 2nd century AD, and of course there are already some mixed elements there, they are observed.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Olga, please tell me, I have a feeling that nowhere, not even in Greece, not even in Rome, have gods been so present in the everyday life of people. There were an insane amount of them there. But among the Greeks, you will say that there was an insane amount, but I remember that at school we studied a whole paragraph. There was a paragraph about Greek gods, and about Egyptian gods. Indeed, was it such an ordinary and everyday thing, or was it something so mysterious, mystical and monstrous?

O. VASILYEVA: You know, they are right, and I must say, the Greeks themselves admired the piety of the Egyptians, their devotion to the gods. And Herodotus wrote in the second book of his history that the Egyptians are the most religious people on earth. And I think he's right. I think the Greeks too everyday life worshiped the gods. But the Egyptians tried to sanctify every moment of their lives, and why they had such small home sanctuaries. Because unlike the Greeks, who could freely go to the temple and make sacrifices, this is known. The Egyptian could not come to the temple just like that; he could only come to the first hall, open to common people, but he could not enter the sanctuary itself; only the priest could enter there. Accordingly, he could not make a sacrifice. Strictly speaking, even the priest could not make a sacrifice, but the king made the sacrifice.

A. VENEDIKTOV: The priests didn’t make sacrifices?

O. VASILYEVA: The priests only made sacrifices on behalf of the king. So, an Egyptian must somehow pray to God, so sometimes such prayer houses were built at home, or near temples, and there pilgrims could honor the deity and bring their gifts. That's why it's probably fair, but I think it shouldn't be exaggerated either. There was some kind of folk religion.

A. VENEDIKTOV: About folk religion. Our listeners answered the question mostly correctly: there were some kind of scourges. Let me remind you that I asked the question: what sacred and beloved animal was widespread in Egypt. We gave away 10 copies of the books “The Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods.” These are translated books by Dmitry Meeks and Christine Favard-Meeks from the Young Guard publishing house. Our winners, Lika 567 phone number begins, Lera 465, Vladimir 492, Polina 312, Timofey 068, Lisa 951, Valentina 162, Natalya 910, Taisiya 345, Vera 564. Mostly women, I draw your attention, who correctly answered that they were cats.

O. VASILYEVA: By the way, it is characteristic that women are because the cat is the embodiment of the goddess Bastat, the patroness of women.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I found that about 300 thousand cat mummies were discovered near Memphis.

O. VASILYEVA: Near Memphis?

A. VENEDIKTOV: Near Memphis.

O. VASILYEVA: In general, the center of the cult of this goddess Bubastis.

A. VENEDIKTOV: There is also some city of Benihasan, there are 180 thousand people there. And I found such a wonderful story that the export of cats from Egypt was prohibited then. It is a myth?

O. VASILYEVA: Nevertheless, the Greeks took them to Greece.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is this when the Greeks arrived?

O. VASILYEVA: Then yes, a cat appeared in Greece, but the Greeks appeared from the 6th century BC.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Cats, that was the correct answer, we will pause for news, and then we will continue the conversation with Olga Vasilyeva, and you prepare your questions, send them, and I will turn on the phone.

There's news coming.

A. VENEDIKTOV: 10:35 in Moscow, Ksenia Larina is on vacation. Let me remind you that now at this place from 10 to 11 am “Museum Chambers” opens together with the Tsvetaevsky Museum, or the Alexander Pushkin Museum. We will have such a mini-series. Today we are talking about ancient Egypt, a week later we are talking about the Greek hall, and another week about the Roman hall. Naturally, museum staff will come. Our guest now is Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. By calling 363-36-59 you can ask Olga questions regarding ancient Egypt and the hall of the Pushkin Museum. You can ask, Vadim has already asked us here, there are also questions on SMS. “Is it true that the pharaohs consumed hashish?”

O. VASILYEVA: Hashish? No, you know, this is unknown.

A. VENEDIKTOV: We’ll say this, is it true that they got stoned and brought themselves into a trance, or were they priests?

O. VASILYEVA: No, you know, this is unknown, tobacco was unknown. As for the trance of priests, you know, this is a difficult question.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Why?

O. VASILYEVA: I’ll explain now. The fact is that the Egyptian priests have rituals that resemble those of shamans. The priest falls asleep, has some visions, then wakes up. But these are really very important rituals and ceremonies. But what the priests used is unknown.

A. VENEDIKTOV: That is, were there any hallucinogens?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, did he take something to fall asleep or not. It's a difficult question.

O. VASILYEVA: You know, Prus’s novel “Pharaoh” is good, although there are some inaccuracies, but really this is in any novel. You know, Christian Jacques, here is his series about Ramses.

A. VENEDIKTOV: It is published in Russian.

O. VASILYEVA: Yes. Although, perhaps, he is also a little drawn out, but, in any case, he is a popularizer and an Egyptologist, so it is possible to read.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Remember, Christian Jacques. Before we go any further, I want to play another one, this time computer game“Anthology of Civilization 6”, there is about ancient Egypt. Let me remind you that this is a computer game, and only those who are interested in computer games play them. The 1C company presented us with 10 copies. And the question is very simple, on SMS +7-985-970-45-45, which commander said: “Soldiers of 40 centuries are looking at you from the tops of these pyramids.” Who said, you send me the answer to +7-985-970-45-45. Who said: “Soldiers, 40 centuries are looking at you from the tops of these pyramids.” Was this commander, unnamed for centuries, mistaken, or was this phrase written to him?

O. VASILYEVA: Why, he said this without a piece of paper.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Did you know?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes.

A. VENEDIKTOV: So, who said the phrase: “Soldiers, 40 centuries are looking at you from the tops of these pyramids,” +7-985-970-45-45.

News broadcast in progress.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Our guest is Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. Our correspondent Timur Olevsky went to the Egyptian Hall and talked with the visitors, why they came there, and what struck them, surprised them, and perhaps made them laugh. Timur Olevsky.

T. OLEVSKY: In the museum it is customary to talk in a low voice, but this did not stop visitors to the hall from remembering the civilization that arose in the Nile Valley and talking about what from the life of the Egyptians has survived to this day. So the decorative artist Elena from Stavropol specially came to Moscow to visit the Pushkin Museum to exchange experiences with ancient creators.

ELENA: We use a lot of ornamental elements, tableware paintings, in iron and plastic. I know the meaning, but there is no name. They deified animals, and believed that there was a great relationship between people and animals.

T. OLEVSKY: The cold-blooded schoolboy Vladik knows about the mysterious methods of human remains.

VLADISLAV: Vessels where human organs were placed. They did this so that it would be preserved, and they were protected by the figurine of an eagle, the head of an eagle.

T. OLEVSKY: Fincollege student Elena has her own feminine look. She found elements of modern subcultures in ancient Egypt. “By the way, men were different then than they are now,” she believes.

Student ELENA: A lot of jewelry, gold, piercings, it seems to me, come from here, because all these temple jewelry are very popular now. Embalming has also come in our time, all kinds of ladles, dishes. It was difficult for man to explain many natural phenomena, and he came up with these unknown enemies, Basset, the sun god Ra. Naturally, people were stronger then than they are now. This is also related to the environment.

T. OLEVSKY: Ksenia, a student at the Chita Faculty of Journalism, believes that the writing of Egypt is not suitable for today.

KSENIYA: Egyptian gods and, of course, burial rites. I like their writing, but I have never seen such hieroglyphs anywhere, this is such a writing system, but it seems to me that for the modern world it is not entirely convenient.

T. OLEVSKY: But schoolgirl Tatyana knows exactly where the principle of Egyptian literacy is used with great success.

TATYANA: They also drew on their walls, it all looks like comics.

T. OLEVSKY: By the way, about the pyramids, sensible Ksenia, a student at a Moscow school, knows something about the contacts of the Egyptians with aliens.

Schoolgirl KSENIA: There is, of course, a version that aliens helped them, and even on the temples there were drawings similar to the image spaceship. In general, everything is possible in life.

T. ALEVSKY: And music teacher Evgenia Mikhailovna just wants to believe in UFOs. “By the way, mummies,” she said, “even in our time they lie nearby.”

EVGENIYA MIKHAILOVNA: What about our Vladimir Ilyich, he’s nearby. There are so many theories, and I really want to believe in something extraterrestrial. I even want, we understand, there were complex mechanisms, but I think without heavenly powers It didn’t work out, someone helped create an extraordinary mechanism, the essence of which we still don’t know.

T. ALEVSKY: But 2nd grade student Ira is not afraid of mummies at all, and has no doubt that very smart people lived in ancient Egypt.

IRINA: The most interesting thing is the mummies, how they were made there, they are not alive, but in general they could do a lot of things. All these colors have been preserved; they were there many centuries ago, very surprisingly. All these squiggles, writing it all out like this so that it all remains in the brain, it’s very difficult. I think they did it themselves because they were very smart, but it was very difficult.

T. OLEVSKY: I’ll add that, according to visitors to the Egyptian hall of the Pushkin Museum with fruits ancient civilization we meet in our time more often than it might seem at first glance.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Olga Vasilyeva, you are the head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. Here are your visitors, what do you say? Completely random, as you understand.

O. VASILYEVA: Very interesting. But I very often came across the fact that when you ask: “What did you like most,” especially with children, they immediately answer that it’s a mummy. I immediately ask again: “And from artistic monuments, maybe some figurines.”

A. VENEDIKTOV: Why don’t you like mummies?

O. VASILYEVA: You know, a mummy is also a work of art, of course, but a little different, then mummies were not only in Egypt, other mummies are also known. But Lenin’s example is completely unsuitable here, because a mummy is still a dried body, and here the technology for preserving the body is different. Very typical such interests, and what we really associate with Egypt are mummies, pyramids, hieroglyphs, and sacred animals.

A. VENEDIKTOV: This is a school course.

O. VASILYEVA: I think that this is absolutely correct, because these are indeed elements of Egyptian civilization.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Olya, what do people miss?

O. VASILYEVA: I just started my conversation with my favorite monument, but it’s favorite not because it’s the only one, and I don’t love anything else. It seems to me that it is worth paying attention not only to the world of the dead, not only do we come and see mummies, we also have the head of a female mummy, very scary, but also to meet the world of the living. This world is also represented. He also depicts people on the reliefs. Here we look into the eyes of Amenhotep, Rannai. These are the people who were very famous in their time. Although many thousands of years have passed. It seems to me that we need to switch to the Egyptian portrait, to the faces Ancient Egypt, and this can give us a lot. Because these are faces that remain in eternity. Egyptian artists were able to preserve for us forever the appearance of these people, these images, it is amazing. Not to mention the Fayum portraits, this is a different Greek tradition. But they took from Egypt this desire to immortalize man in the literal sense of the word, this is not a metaphor. Because the Egyptians believed that by creating a statue, they preserved the double of a person, this is his immortal essence. This is very important, it is very often overlooked, but it is very important.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is this a portrait thing, or is this an average Egypt?

O. VASILYEVA: In our sense of the word, of course, this is not a portrait, it’s easy to notice, it’s a stylized image, an idealization, reminiscent of a mask, I’ve already talked about this. We also have a portrait mask of Pharaoh Pepi II, an amazing and unique thing too, there is no other like it in the world. There's a strange feeling there. On the one hand, he has a kind of motionless, frozen face, and on the other hand, his features an ordinary person, we seem to recognize him.

A. VENEDIKTOV: They differ anyway.

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, we recognize them, this person, that other one. But the Egyptians still always signed the statue, they tried to be sure, because the name is a very important element. Of course, if the statue is not signed, then of course it could be some person while he is remembered, but as soon as he is forgotten, it is already difficult to identify him. And when he has a name, you immediately read that this is such and such a priest, and we, as it were, revive him.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I paid attention to what the student girl said about cosmetics and piercings. It's really like that, it was special art? Why did she pay attention to this?

O. VASILYEVA: Girls find it interesting.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Wait, it’s not that simple. If it weren't outstanding, I would have passed it by.

O. VASILYEVA: You know, yes, cosmetics, they were used in ancient times, especially eyeliner, and on sarcophagi we see an imitation of eyeliner.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Why?

O. VASILYEVA: This is a special paint, it is fat, a mixture of crushed malachite, soot, and not only for beauty, by the way, but to protect the eyes from the wind, from the heat. Arabs still paint their eyes.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is this precisely to cover the tender part?

O. VASILYEVA: For hygienic reasons, among other things. Both men and women used it. As for piercings, you know that pierced ears, these earrings, they came from Asian countries. This is the era of the middle kingdom, when there were already contacts with Palestine, with Syria, this is the time. IN ancient kingdom did not have. There were such temple rings on wigs, they were attached like clips.

A. VENEDIKTOV: A few words about wigs. At one time, and I think that many of our listeners do not know, this black hair of the Egyptians is, in general, wigs.

O. VASILYEVA: Wigs, but they also had their own hair, but the men shaved, of course. As for the women, they didn’t shave their heads, they cut their hair.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is it because of the heat?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, firstly, the head is ventilated, and I apologize, they somehow get rid of insects at the same time. Plus, of course, ceremonial wigs, this is rather an element of such status. Because ordinary people, when they worked in the fields, they simply tied some kind of scarves, like turbans, and did something. And noble ladies and nobles wore wigs, just like we did in the 18th century, at receptions, or where they went out solemnly, they always wore wigs. And on some statues you can clearly see your hair like this, looking out from under the wig.

A. VENEDIKTOV: That is, they even depicted this on statues?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, this was noted.

A. VENEDIKTOV: They just showed that it was a wig.

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, that she is not shaved.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Tell me, please, but the Egyptian collection of the Pushkin Museum, is it being replenished, or not replenished, is it already sufficient, or is there simply nothing to replenish from now?

O. VASILYEVA: You know, it was replenished last time, unfortunately, in the mid-90s. Literally several things were bought, Ushepti, figurines of Ushapti's servants, from a private collector.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Russian?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, Russian. I must admit that, alas, the collection is not currently being replenished for financial reasons.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Is there anything that you would like to add to the collection?

O. VASILYEVA: I think so.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I understand that you want Tutankhamun.

O. VASILYEVA: Why, let him stay in Cairo.

A. VENEDIKTOV: What is missing from the system, what does not make the collection complete?

O. VASILYEVA: Firstly, our collection is complete in some sense.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Which one?

O. VASILYEVA: It represents all periods, starting from the archaic period, the 4th millennium, all sorts of clay vessels, palettes, and so on, until the very latest, to the Faima portraits. This is really very valuable, but our things are small, not very large, like in museums around the world, and we practically do not have the Amarna era, this mysterious period, the period of Pharaoh Eritikai Akhenaten.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Does anyone have it, I wanted to ask?

O. VASILYEVA: There are very few such things, but there is the largest collection in Berlin Museum, in Cairo, in the Louvre, and in the British Museum there are also several. But Berlin and Cairo are the largest museums.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Olya, what do you have in your storerooms that they don’t see, that isn’t on display right now?

O. VASILYEVA: About 900 items are currently on display. Golenishchev's collection is more than 6 thousand. You can imagine how much we have in stock, that is, enough for about three more halls. But we tried to exhibit the most significant things and monuments; that’s what I call unique. But, of course, some things, unique and unique in the world, are not exhibited for some reason. For example, the Golenishchev papyrus with a record of the priest’s travels to Byblos. The Unu-Amun papyrus is so-called, it is known to all historians, because it is literally the only one in the world, and there is no other. But you see, if you put it in the hall, it won’t be entirely clear. It will be necessary to explain, it will be necessary to provide some kind of explication.

A. VENEDIKTOV: What does he look like?

O. VASILYEVA: It is under glass, in such a frame.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Isn’t this a package?

O. VASILYEVA: Of course, this is not a scroll, all the papyri are unrolled, otherwise they are poorly preserved in our climate.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Are they poorly preserved in scrolls?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, they break, mold, and so on. They were preserved in Egypt, but not here, we have a different climate. We have colossal humidity, unfortunately, everything rots. That’s why they are under special glass, and we have a lot of such papyri in our storage room; only two papyri are displayed in the hall. I remind you that our guest in the “Museum Chambers” program is Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of Ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. If you have questions, you can also ask them by phone. Now I’ll turn on the phone 363-36-59. I remind you that this is ancient Egypt with us today. In general, there is no need to talk about everything, if possible.

O. VASILYEVA: Better about the hall that interests you.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Let’s ask now. Olya, put on your headphones. Live phone number 363-36-59, hello, hello.

Listener: Good afternoon. My name is Sergey, and I have a question for the guest of your program. Regarding women's jewelry, specifically earrings. You said it's more late period, and it is unusual for Ancient Egypt. You have a mummy in the hall, the head of a woman, and she is wearing an earring.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Ay, well done Sergei, I caught it, thank you very much.

O. VASILYEVA: It’s always nice when you get caught.

A. VENEDIKTOV: We must remember this, as he remembers it. And she with an earring?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, she has an earring, and there is still a lock of hair there. A wonderful question, but the mummy dates back to the New Kingdom era. I said that pierced ears are from the Middle Kingdom era. The entire history of Egypt is divided into periods.

A. VENEDIKTOV: So this is later?

O. VASILYEVA: Of course later.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Nevertheless, thank you Sergei for saying such subtlety, noticing it, but I can’t even remember. Next question. Hello, hello, are you in live, what is your name?

Listener2: Hello, my name is Roman, I’m from Moscow. I would like to ask Olga a question. Question. I remembered the movie "Pharaoh". There, the intrigue of the film was that... In my opinion, it was a Polish film.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Yes, absolutely, a Polish film. Speak.

Listener2: And the intrigue of the film was in the confrontation between the pharaoh, or rather the son of the pharaoh, and the clergy. And he eventually lost the confrontation. At the same time, in other sources, in particular in popular science films from the BBC, they expressed completely different versions. How real was the balance of power between the secular authorities and the clergy?

O. VASILYEVA: The fact is that this period, indeed according to Roman Prusso, is the end of the era of the new kingdom. Between these eras that I spoke about, there were eras of the collapse of the country, such transitional periods, and then conflicts occurred. This is absolutely true, but there is a little bit there, the death of the pharaoh is not historical, after all, this murder, conspiracy, and so on is not recorded. As for the balance of power, difficulties could arise here, because the Theban priesthood was very strong. And the example of Akhenaten tells us that the conflicts were very serious. But in general, according to the Egyptian worldview and ideas about power, there should be no conflicts, because the high priest is the king, I repeat again.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Pharaoh is the high priest?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, only he regulates, only he can pray to the gods, no one else. Therefore this central figure everywhere, both in administration and in spiritual life.

A. VENEDIKTOV: You should ask Olga about the museum, otherwise we’ll start leaving now. If you have a question about the museum, here are those who have been to the museum, those who have not been to the museum, it is clear that you need to go. Ask questions. 363-36-59. Hello, hello. What is your name?

Listener3: Hello. Please, a few words about the Fayum portraits. My name is Yulia, I am from Moscow.

O. VASILYEVA: You know, the Fayum portrait, the name comes from the oasis in northern Egypt Fayum, but in general such things are found in other areas of Egypt, not only in Fayum. Their purpose was different. It's on thin boards unique technique, Encaustic wax paints. There is a tamper technique, that is, there is not wax, but egg white as a connecting link. It is believed that these portraits were painted during life, they really look like they are alive, they look at us. Some portraits were exhibited as mummies, that is, instead of a mask, just like a face in order to preserve the incorruptible image of a person. But some portraits, it’s noticeable, they were inserted into frames and hung on the walls. This is analogous to our photographs, our portraits.

A. VENEDIKTOV: I would say posters.

O. VASILYEVA: Maybe a poster, but there was also such a use. There were also some kind of paintings, or icons, as they can be called, images of gods. It’s just not displayed in our hall.

A. VENEDIKTOV: But does it exist?

O. VASILYEVA: It is in the storage room, it is in very poor condition, so it cannot be displayed, but it is there.

A. VENEDIKTOV: But this is not in the hall of ancient Egypt?

O. VASILYEVA: Yes, this is in the Greco-Roman hall, where there is this veil with Anubis.

A. VENEDIKTOV: We are just paying attention to this. Before you accept last call, and, if possible, a short question, say right away that “Soldiers of 40 centuries”, this phrase was said by Napoleon. And our winners, who receive the computer game “Civilization-6” from 1C, Vladimir, whose phone number begins with 506, Dmitry 367, Pavel 543, Boris 673, Svetlana 209, Katya 779, are lucky to go to Katya today, Alexander 659, Oksana 270, Yura 246, and Natalya 221. Let's listen to one more call, if you don't mind. Hello, hello, you are live, what is your name?

Listener4: Hello, Lyudmila. I’m wondering if there are such passes with excursions, how can I buy them, because I’m already 2 years late to buy them.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Subscriptions with excursions in their entirety, as I understand it.

O. VASILYEVA: You know, firstly, there is children's subscription, As far as I understand.

A. VENEDIKTOV: This is very important.

O. VASILYEVA: Unfortunately, we have a long queue, we accept applications twice a year, try calling now, but I won’t tell you the phone number to the administration, I don’t remember. The excursion bureau will indicate this phone number to you and explain how to do it. It’s better to know the whole procedure in advance, and there are also subscriptions for conversations in the halls. This is for a mixed audience, not only for children but also for adults. We take you through different halls, including the hall of Ancient Egypt. This usually happens in the fall, in October.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Lyudmila, let’s say in a week, when they come to us in the Greek hall, I’ll tell you all the phone numbers and show them. Let's make one more call, but very quickly. Hello, hello, you are live, what is your name?

Listener 5: Vladimir, Moscow region. Question to specialist Olga about the Fayum portraits. Why are there young faces there, why are there no very old people?

A. VENEDIKTOV: Thank you, Vladimir.

O. VASILYEVA: They exist, we just don’t have such old people in our meetings. In general, there are images of gray-haired, old people, but in principle, this could be an Egyptian tradition, because it was important to preserve a person forever young, youthful, in his prime, this is possible. But I repeat again, such images are known.

A. VENEDIKTOV: Thank you very much, Olga Vasilyeva, head of the department of ancient Egypt at the Pushkin Museum. Our Museum Chambers will continue next week at 10am. We will talk about your favorite Greek Hall. Olga, thank you very much.

O. VASILYEVA: Thank you.

A. VENEDIKTOV: And of course I advise everyone, and how former teacher, come to the Egyptian Hall. Of course, you won’t find there what the pharaohs used, as Vadim asked with tenacity worthy of better use, but will you find a lot of unexpected things there?

O. VASILYEVA: Of course.

A. VENEDIKTOV: These were the “Museum Chambers”. Goodbye.

I’ve been meaning to talk about what is probably my favorite Moscow museum for a long time - the State Museum. fine arts them. A.S. Pushkin. I'll have to split the post into two parts, it's too big and... interesting museum.




PART 1

Do not expect to go around the entire State Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin in one visit. It's practically impossible. Is it just running, glancing briefly at the rich exhibits presented on two floors in 30 halls!
Therefore, I suggest you take a quick “run” through the halls of the museum with me right now, and let everyone thoroughly familiarize themselves with it on their own and preferably over several visits!
Just a little about the history of the museum. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Museum took place on August 17, 1898. First visitors to the Emperor's Museum of Fine Arts Alexandra III accepted at the Moscow Imperial University on May 31, 1912.

As was customary in those glorious years, the museum was built with donations from philanthropists. Most The money was contributed by the great Russian philanthropist Yuri Stepanovich Nechaev-Maltsov.
The creator of the museum, Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev (1847 - 1913) is a Russian scientist-historian, archaeologist, philologist and art historian, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, professor at Moscow University (father of Marina Tsvetaeva).

So, go ahead, on the 1st floor!

Hall 1. ART OF ANCIENT EGYPT. IV-I millennium BC

The richest collection of ancient Egyptian art presented in the exhibition of this hall introduces the stages of development of Egyptian culture, starting from the pre-dynastic period (IV millennium BC) until the time of the New Kingdom (XVII-XII centuries BC). The architecture of the hall reproduces character traits temple architecture of the 2nd millennium BC. The ceiling paintings, made by the artist I.I. Nivinsky in 1912, represent a free variation on the theme of decorative design of mortuary temples and tombs.

Statue of Amenemhet III. Middle Kingdom, XII Dynasty, mid to late 19th century BC.

Sarcophagus of the nobleman Mahu. New Kingdom, XVIII dynasty, XIV century. BC.

Statue of the god Anubis. New Kingdom, II millennium BC.

These “notes” are over 4000 years old!!!

Hall 2. ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS (Mesopotamia, Urartu, Iran, Cyprus, Parthia, India, America)

The exposition of this hall introduces the art of ancient peoples who inhabited Western Asia, the Mediterranean, the Indian Peninsula and Latin America. The decoration of the hall uses motifs from the paintings of the palaces of the Assyrian kings: gate demons “shedu” and reliefs from the royal palaces (casts). In the center of the hall, on a pedestal, there are authentic Urartu vessels, ancient state(current territory of Armenia).

The display cases contain authentic items from ancient civilizations.
Peru. Culture Rekuay. 1st millennium AD Figure of a warrior-priest. Reminds me of our Vanka-Vstanka

Scythians. 7th-5th century BC Clay tent (possibly a toy).

Four-armed Vishnu with attributes in his hands: club, wheel, conch and lotus.
Sandstone, 9th century. AD Gift from Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India.

Relief depicting a winged spirit in a pose of blessing.
Cast. Original 9th ​​century BC is in British Museum, London.
To work on casts of I.V. Over the years, Tsvetaev attracted famous Russian scientists and outstanding artists. Plaster casts and galvanocpies were ordered in 1890 - 1911 from famous European workshops.

Hall 3. TREASURES OF TROY

A collection of 259 items from treasures discovered by Heinrich Schliemann during the excavations of Troy in 1871-1890 is stored in the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin since 1945. The collection was transferred Soviet Union together with other artistic values ​​by decision of the Soviet Control Commission as partial compensation for damage caused by the Nazis.

Hall 4. ART OF THE ANCIENT WORLD (Cyprus, Ancient Greece, Etruria, Ancient Rome)

The collection of antique originals is one of the earliest in the Pushkin Museum's collection. The first ancient Greek vases and terracottas were purchased for the Cabinet of Fine Arts of Moscow University in the 50-60s of the 19th century. Today the collection contains more than ten thousand originals dating back to the period from the 3rd millennium BC. to the 4th century AD More than half of them were found by expeditions of the Pushkin Museum during archaeological excavations.

In four sections of the hall - Cyprus, Ancient Greece, Etruria, Ancient Rome - monuments of the main artistic regions and centers of the ancient Mediterranean are presented.
Central to the art section Ancient Rome occupies a sarcophagus with Dionysian scenes (c. 210) - one of the most famous monuments Museum collections.

Torso of a naked Dionysus with a sword and a grape vine. First half of the 2nd century, marble.

Hall 5. ART OF THE NORTHERN BLACK SEA REGION

The exhibition is based on materials found by expeditions of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin in the south of Russia and Crimea.

Portrait statue of a ruler from Gorgippia. Marble, 80s II century
Found in 1939-1940. in Anapa (ancient Gorgippia).

Hall 6. COPTIC AND HELLENISTIC ART

In the first centuries AD, it began to spread in Egypt christian religion. Christian Egyptians were called Copts.
The hall represents the art and culture of Egypt after the campaigns of Alexander the Great, when Egyptian art absorbs the features of the art of the Greeks (“Hellenes”). Most of the exhibits are related to the funerary cult - sarcophagi, burial shrouds and masks. In the center of the hall there is a display case with Egyptian sarcophagi and mummies of the 6th-1st centuries BC.

Of particular interest is the collection of 16 Fayum portraits, made using the most sophisticated technique of wax paints.
Portrait of a woman, second half of the 2nd century.

Mummy masks, 2nd century.

Hall 7. BYZANTINE ART of the XIV-XVI centuries. ART OF ITALY VIII-XVI centuries

Byzantine painting is represented mainly by monuments of the 14th century. Among the world-class masterpieces is the icon of the “Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles,” which is exceptional in its subtlety of execution.

Collection Italian art- one of the best in the Pushkin Museum collection.

Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio. Portrait of a young man in the image of Saint Sebastian. Late 1490s.

Giulio Pippi. Lady at the toilet. Early 1520s.

Hall 8. ART OF GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS XV - XVI centuries

Art Northern Renaissance presented for the first time in a separate room. These are six boards by Lucas Cranach the Elder, “The Flagellation of Christ” by the largest Münster master Johann Körbecke, “The Annunciation” by the Master from Hoogstraten, etc.
The Pushkin Museum's collection of German art of the 15th century is the best in Russia in terms of the number and quality of works.
There is also a section on Dutch art.

Hall 9. Flemish Art XVII century.

The Flanders Painting Hall gives a holistic view of the Flemish school. Along with the brightest names such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Jordaens, Snyders, the number of exhibited paintings has increased, primarily due to large-format canvases, in the hall you can now see the works of their students and contemporaries (about two dozen new canvases).

Hall 10. Rembrandt and the masters of his school.

For the first time, six paintings by Rembrandt, as well as works by his students and followers, are shown as an independent section.

Hall 11. Dutch painting XVII century.

Dutch paintings School XVII centuries constitute one of the most numerous and attractive sections of the Pushkin Museum’s exhibition. In conditions of severe dependence on market competition, Dutch artists focused on one or several genres where they felt most confident. Some preferred to paint pictures on religious and mythological subjects (works by Hendrik Goltzius, Gerrit van Honthorst, Nicholas Berchem), others - landscapes, and still others - genre scenes and still lifes.

Hall 14. GREEK YARD. Art of Ancient Greece. 2nd half of the 5th - beginning of the 4th century BC. Casts.

One of the most beautiful halls of the museum. The complex organization of movement along three floor levels made it possible to convey with amazing accuracy the free picturesque ensemble of the Athenian Acropolis.

Hall 15. ITALIAN YARD. Art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Casts.

Italian courtyard built as a reduced repetition courtyard Palazzo Bargelo: corner staircase leading to the second floor, small columns with floral capitals supporting the balcony, light arcade, well in the center. The accuracy of the choice of architectural prototype made it possible to combine samples in the exhibition hall classical art German Middle Ages with works of famous Italian sculptors of the Renaissance.

State Museum Fine Arts named after. A. S. Pushkin or, as it is more often called, the Pushkin Museum is one of the most significant museums in Moscow, which has collected within its walls a large collection of works of foreign art from the ancient world to the present day.

The Pushkin Museum opened its doors for the first time on May 31, 1912. The inspirer and first director was Moscow University professor Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev. The initial collection was formed from copies of ancient sculptures and mosaics of the university Cabinet of Fine Arts and genuine antiquities purchased from the famous Egyptologist V.S. Golenishcheva. Later, the halls were replenished with paintings transferred from other museums and works of art from private collections donated or confiscated after the revolution. Today, the Pushkin Museum’s collection includes more than 670,000 exhibits, of which only 1.5% are available for inspection.

Under the jurisdiction of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin - a whole museum town located in historical center Moscow near Kropotkinskaya metro station. It includes several buildings, including:

• Main building
• Gallery of art from Europe and America of the 19th-20th centuries.
• Department of Personal Collections
• Museum-apartment of Svyatoslav Richter
• Center aesthetic education"Museion"
• Training Art Museum them. I.V. Tsvetaeva
• House of graphics

The main building is an architectural monument with a powerful colonnade and a glass roof, built 100 years ago specifically for the museum.

The exhibition here is located on two floors. The first contains genuine rarities of Ancient Egypt, ancient times, golden treasures of Ancient Troy from the excavations of archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, paintings by European masters of the 8th-18th centuries, there are Greek and Italian courtyards - large spaces with cast sculptures. On the second floor, many rooms are devoted to copies of art objects from Ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In addition, original paintings by European artists are exhibited here.

The Egyptian Hall is one of the world's best collections of authentic objects from the times of Ancient Egypt: mummies, sarcophagi, masks, figurines, jewelry and vessels.

Wooden sarcophagus of the nobleman Mahu, holder of a plot of land of the Temple of Amun:

Amenhotep and Rannai - priest and priestess of the god Amun:

Sarcophagus and mummy of Khor-Kha. On foreground– cat mummy:

The next room is dedicated to the art of the Ancient Near East.

Figurine of an adorant from Northern Mesopotamia. Adorant is a figurine made of stone or clay that was placed in a temple so that it would pray for the person who placed it.

Halls of ancient art with a collection of Greek vases and amphorae, mosaics, sculptures and reliefs of Ancient Italy, Cyprus and Rome.

Antefix – ceramic tile with the Gorgon Medusa mask:

Items from the excavations of Panticapaeum - the capital of the Chimerian Bosporus:

The theme of antiquity continues in the Greek courtyard - big hall, filled with casts of famous ancient Greek statues, reliefs and architectural fragments.

Sleeping Ariadne. The marble original is kept in the Vatican.

Another courtyard is Italian, with casts of Renaissance masterpieces.

Equestrian statue – copy bronze monument to the commander-in-chief Bartolomeo Colleoni of Venice.

Michelangelo's famous David. The height of the sculpture is 5.5 meters.

One of the main pearls of the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin - a collection of works by Rembrandt and artists of his school is located in room No. 10.

Rembrandt "Portrait of an Old Lady" and "Portrait of an Elderly Woman".

Exhibition of paintings Flemish painters 17th century - Rubens, Jordaens, Van Dyck, Bruegel.

Anthony Van Dyck "Portrait of Adrian Stevens". Flemish master of the early 17th century "Portrait of a Lady with a Fan".

"Ice Skating" by Hendrik Averkamp from the 17th century Dutch Art Hall.

Also on the ground floor, the permanent exhibition presents art from Byzantium, Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, and Germany and the Netherlands from the 15th to 16th centuries.

Let's go up to the second floor.

The hall, called "Olympic", with casts from classical ancient Greek sculptures.

A copy of the sculpture “Lamentation of Christ” from the hall of Michelangelo Buonarotti. " Greater fame and fame,” according to his contemporary, the great master acquired himself with this work.

Italian sculpture from the 15th century. The decoration of the hall uses decorative elements in the style of the Early Renaissance.

Magnificent Tombstone of the Cardinal of Portugal by Rosselino Antonio. The original is in Florence in the church of San Miniato al Monte.

European art of the Middle Ages.

The cultural heritage of Ancient Italy and Ancient Rome in casts. The masterpieces of this room are the Capitoline She-Wolf, the bust of Marcus Aurelius, and the sculpture “Victoria”.

Greek art late classic and Hellenism. The colossal group “Farnese Bull” - the original is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Winged Nike of Samothrace and Aphrodite of Knidos famous sculptor Praxiteles.

Of course, it is difficult to show all the halls and works - there are a lot of them, you can spend more than one hour exploring the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.

Photography is free, but there are a few rules: you cannot use a tripod or flash, and you are prohibited from taking photographs at temporary exhibitions.

On days of particularly significant exhibitions, when masterpieces from collections are brought best museums world, queues are forming at the cash register.

Art Talks on 29 topics are held on Tuesday and Friday afternoons and Thursday evenings in the Main Building, Gallery and Personal Collections Department.

Since 1980 in the museum. Pushkin passes annual festival music “December Evenings of Svyatoslav Richter”, concerts are held in the halls throughout the year.

There are sightseeing and thematic tours of the permanent exhibition; you can take an audio guide, its cost is 250 rubles.

More detailed information see on the official website of the Pushkin Museum: arts-museum.ru

How to get to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

By public transport: metro station Kropotkinskaya, then 2 minutes on foot.

Address: Volkhonka street, building 12.

Opening hours

• Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday - from 11-00 to 20-00
• Thursday, Friday - from 11-00 to 21-00

Monday - closed

Ticket prices for the Main Building

• Adults – 400 rubles
• Preferential categories- 200 rubles
• Children under 16 years old – free