18th century in Russian gold and silver art of the second half of the 19th – early 20th century: from rejection to recognition

Abstract

This article shows the influence of the 18th-century art on the creativity of Russian jewellery companies in the second half of 19th – early 20th century. During the period of national style domination, the revision to 18th century is especially interesting. The art of this era in the perception of descendants became from complete rejection in the eyes of posterity to a total recognition of its originality, artistic individuality, and as a result national-identity. The latter entailed the use of cultural assets of 18th century as prototypes of gold and silver products created in late 19th – early 20th century because of nationality. The author analyses both works of Russian jewellery companies and documentary evidence demonstrating the attitude of contemporaries to an art culture of the 18th century.