Anton Marchenko
The museum is situated in a set of buildings, monuments to the architecture of the 18-20th centuries. The mansion is often called Osterman house by the name of the previous proprietors. The complex has survived different owners and only in 1981 it was assigned to the Russian popular arts and crafts museum. Nowadays its collection counts 238 000 articles divided in departments: metal and stone, glass, ceramics, tissues, polished miniatures, wood and ivory. The vast archived materials collection is concentrated in the museum's science archive. The fine arts department founded in 1994 is proud of its authentic graphics and paintings collection composed from the works of painters working in different decorative styles. The rare book department is the museum's special pride.
