“National Style in Jewelry Art” Exhibition. Continuing the Great Traditions

On September 18th, at the Manege, as part of the tenth anniversary Moscow Financial Forum, a joint project by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the Fund for the Development of the Arts and Crafts and Jewelry Art was presented — the exhibition "National Style in Jewelry Art," dedicated to the 195th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian jeweler Pavel Akimovich Ovchinnikov. The exhibition's motto is "Continuing the Great Traditions."

Forum guests had the opportunity to view pieces by leading Russian jewelry brands, crafted in the national traditions of Russian jewelry art. The following houses and artists presented their work: the CHAMOVSKIKH Jewelry House, the RODIS Jewelry House and "Russkaya Skazka" (Russian Fairy Tale), the "Khrizolit" (Chrysolite) Goldsmith Workshop, the Nikolay Balmasov Creative Workshop, and artist-jeweler Alexey Dontsov.

A joint project by jewelry artist Ilgiz Fazulzyanov and the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Center for the Preservation and Development of Authorial Jewelry Art" called "Heritage" was presented, along with the diploma works of students from the P.A. Ovchinnikov Polytechnic College.

The centerpiece of the exhibition was the artwork "Botik of Peter the Great," created based on the model of the Boat of Peter I by Pavel Ovchinnikov's firm, which the author named the "Grandfather of the Russian Fleet." This is a joint project of the Fund for the Development of the Arts and Crafts and Jewelry Art and the RODIS Jewelry House. It was first presented at the Moscow Financial Forum in 2022 as part of the exhibition "Peter I and Jewelry Craft in Russia."

During the creation of the jewelry piece, a variety of techniques were employed: electroplating, chasing, casting, enameling, gilding, and niello, reflecting the advanced state of contemporary Russian jewelry art.

"It has been 150 years since the original jewelry piece was created by the great Pavel Ovchinnikov. We thought we could create not a copy or a replica, but our own version, our interpretation," says Alexey Minakov, General Director of the RODIS Jewelry House, about the work. "This includes the availability of new technologies that didn't exist 150 years ago. For example, we use the application of black rhodium and other materials through electroplating, enamels of various colors, and different textures—polished, textured, matte."

 According to him, the jewelers studied historical sources and strove to get as close as possible to the original, including the number of rowers' benches, the number of oars, the placement of cannons, and so on. "Russian jewelry art as a whole is based on the idea that each piece is like a small play, or a small novel; it contains a certain meaning, tells a story, and has an idea behind it. It's not just a beautifully shaped stone in a beautiful setting," he said.

A ceremonial presentation of the "Botik of Peter the Great" as a gift to the State Historical Museum took place at the Moscow Financial Forum (MFF). The project was presented by the author of the idea, Galina Ananyina, President of the Fund for the Development of the Arts and Crafts and Jewelry Art. The piece was accepted into the museum's collection by Alexey Levykin, Director General of the State Historical Museum. The corresponding agreements were officially signed. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexey Moiseev, who emphasized the importance of continuing traditions in jewelry art. 

The exhibition "National Style in Jewelry Art" and the ceremony for the "Botik of Peter the Great" handover to the Historical Museum were attended by Deputy Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation Alexey Moiseev, Head of the Federal Assay Chamber Yury Zubarev, Head of Gokhran of Russia Andrey Yurin, General Director of Goznak JSC Arkady Trachuk, Director of the Department of State Regulation in the sphere of Precious Metals and Precious Stones of the Ministry of Finance Yulia Goncharenko, and President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin. Participants of the financial forum showed great interest in the national traditions embodied in the jewelry art and presented in the exhibition.

 "This is already the fourth jewelry exhibition held as part of the Moscow Financial Forum, which has become its recognizable and integral part," emphasized the curator of the exhibition "National Style in Jewelry Art," Galina Ananyina, President of the Fund for the Development of the Arts and Crafts and Jewelry Art. "Each year, the exhibition has been dedicated either to a specific event or to innovations and investments in jewelry art."

She also mentioned that this year's exhibition is dedicated to the anniversary of the great Russian jeweler Pavel Ovchinnikov, whose name is associated with the very birth of the national style in Russian jewelry art and the formation of a national school.

"It was at world and Russian exhibitions that Ovchinnikov embodied Russian folk character in his works, which is evident in everything from salt cellars and bread baskets to larger pieces. And at international exhibitions, his creative style was perceived precisely as the characteristic Russian style. Therefore, the exhibition 'National Style in Jewelry Art' features jewelry firms, enterprises, and artist-authors who continue these great traditions. But we are talking not only about continuing traditions but also about reviving old traditional technologies, which include cloisonné enamel and stained-glass (window) enamel. This is a technique used in the world only by our, Russian, jewelers. It is very complex and labor-intensive, yet the pieces that result are true masterpieces of unprecedented beauty," commented Galina Ananyina.

When speaking about the exhibits at the exhibition as part of the Moscow Financial Forum 2025, Galina Ananyina told about the following pieces: a unique work by the "Khrizolit" Goldsmith Workshop, which took the masters five years to create: the table lamp "Tales of the Amur," based on the fairy tale "The Little Humpbacked Horse." Tiaras that borrowed motifs from the Russian kokoshnik (headband), and stunning brooches inspired by images from Russian fairy tales.

Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, an outstanding jeweler of our time, presented his project, within which he plans to embody the images of 123 national costumes of various peoples of Russia in jewelry form.

As for the "Botik of Peter the Great," its prototype was a piece by Pavel Ovchinnikov's firm, exhibited at the Polytechnic Exhibition of 1872 in Moscow. At that time, this model became the prize in a competition between rowing vessels from Moscow and St. Petersburg and was commissioned by the Naval Ministry for the anniversary of Peter I. Moreover, the exhibits from that exhibition served as the foundation for creating the Historical Museum in Moscow. History is repeating itself, and now the modern piece, donated at the Moscow Financial Forum, is becoming a treasure and part of the collection of the State Historical Museum.

The exhibition was held with the support of the Department of State Regulation in the Sphere of Precious Metals and Precious Stones of the Ministry of Finance of Russia.