(Source: http://www.tsaritsyno.net)

 A large exhibition project “The Great Ball” opened in Tsaritsyno State museum.  For public, the ball is represented as a special phenomenon in the history of Russian upper class society of 18th-20th centuries with an established culture of strictly regulated ceremonial, music and dances, special behavior and unique ball fashion.

Exhibition features the most fascinating images of past ages and the most interesting episodes of 300 year-long period of Russian history, including ball appearance on the stage and in 20th century cinema. 

Ancient artifacts, costumes and accessories, magnificent painting, bright placards, fashion magazine pictures and commenting texts create a unique atmosphere. A rare collection of ball stories helps to uncover the everyday life of Russian ball and to find out how the gatherings were happening, what kind of dresses were worn, what food and drinks were eaten and drunk, what kind of dances were danced and finally, how a poetic myth of the Russian ball succeeded to incarnate into an art work at the stages of the Bolshoy Theatre.

“Oh, these shining hours of ball…” one of the most significant sections of the exhibition gives a common imagination of the ball as a shining festivity. There are clothes, ball shoes collection, hand fans, hand bags and other elegant ball accessories as well as music instruments and notes from personal collections of the members of Romanov Imperial House.

Obviously, the key section of the exhibition is the “Tsar Balls”. It represents official ceremonial festivities of 19th and the beginning of 20th centuries – first and foremost the balls and spectacles in the Bolshoy Theatre dedicated to the crowning ceremony of two Russian emperors Alexander II and Nikolai II. Famous fancy-dress ball of 1903 when all quests wore costumes of the tsar Alexey Mikhailovich epoch is also represented in this section.

“The Great Ball” project includes more than 460 exhibits from 10 museums of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Tsaritsyno State museum reports that exhibition is open till October 13, 3013.