Tatyana Evgenyevna Savitskaya,
Candidate of Art History, Saratov State Art Museum Named after A.N. Radishchev, Saratov, Russia, е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Merchants Kukuev’s Collection in the Saratov Art Museum Named after A.N. Radishchev. In Regards to Reconstruction
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2021-2-16
An important period in the formation of the Radishchev Art Museum collection falls in the early post-revolutionary years. The artworks were flowing, requisitioned mainly from the residents of Saratov and the Saratov province. One of the most significant additions of this time was the collection of merchants Kokuev, who made a significant contribution to the economy, culture, and social life of Saratov in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. The article identifies the artworks received in 1918 from the Kokuev’s house, reveals their compliance with traditional attribution, attempts to reconstruct the original composition of this collection and determine its specific characteristics. It is revealed that a significant amount of the artworks was transferred to other museums and various institutions, however, in most cases, no relevant acts of transferring were found. The remaining items are systematized by the author of the article based on national art styles, as well as types and genres; in the same way, with a question mark – lost artworks, which are difficult to identify. The author divides all items received from the Kokuevs’ into three main categories. The first one includes household items, in which we can see the “feminine taste” of the lady of the house, and the second one covers a part of the family chronicles (landscapes depicting memorable for Kokuevs places and family portraits). The actual Kokuevs’ “collection” holds items that show their artistic tastes and preferences. Kokuev’s passion for Romanticism is clearly visible, and so is their awareness-as members of the enlightened merchant class, they did not chase over-praised famous names but made choices based on a reasonable correlation of price and quality.
Publishing: 28/04/2021
The article has been received by the editor on 12/02/2021
How to cite: Savitskaya T.E. Merchants Kukuev’s Collection in the Saratov Art Museum Named after A.N. Radishchev. In Regards to Reconstruction // Historical Courier, 2021, No. 2 (16), pp. 184–206. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2021/ISTKURIER-2021-2-16.pdf
Links: Issue 2 2021
Keywords: collection; Kokuev; merchants; Saratov; fine art; Radischev Museum; reconstruction