Bone carver Yakov Seryakov. To the 200th anniversary of birth

Yakov Pamfilovich Seryakov (1818–1869?) was a talented Russian self-taught master engaged in bone carving, the author of numerous portraits, which provide a comprehensive overview of Petersburg society of the 1840–1860s. Along with the imperial and grand-ducal images, in the gallery of his contemporaries, one can see the military, officials, merchants, artists, and writers. The ability to achieve absolute physical resemblance is combined in his works with surprising subtlety and thoroughness of execution.

The exhibition presents for the first time the largest collections of Seryakov's works belonging to the Russian Museum and the Hermitage. Moreover, the exhibition includes items from the Tretyakov Gallery, the St. Petersburg Museum of Theatrical and Musical Art, and the private collection of the Karisalov family. Some portrait busts and medallions included in the exhibition catalog have not yet been exhibited and have never been published yet.