Museums: cultural values are donated to the Museum of Theater and Music

February 8, 2011 was held a ceremony of transfer of rare icons collection and valuable books and valuable music editions and other cultural properties to the funds of St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music by the Department of Rosokhrankultura (culture protection agency) of the Northwest Federal District.

On the whole the Museum received 65 items of the museum and general cultural value. Among them - the printed music of the first half of 20th century of the works by P. I. Tchaikovsky, C. Saint-Saens, R. Schumann; collection of icons of 18-19th centuries: "All the Sorrowful Virgin," "The Virgin Soothe disease," "The Virgin of Vladimir," The Virgin of the Sign "(total - 11 icons), as well as photographs and posters of the early twentieth century of the theatrical theme.

The transferred cultural values had been confiscated by customs authorities in an attempt to smuggle, and found by the Office of the Federal Security Service in the years 1996-2008 as a result of operational and investigative activities.

According to representatives of the Museum the values, received from Rosokhrankultura, will add to the collections of Sheremetev Palace and will complement reconstituted historic interiors of the building. In particular, the icons will adorn the newly renovated premises of the palace chapel and the adjoining "icon room’, which is scheduled to be reconstructed by 2012 - the year of the 300th anniversary of the Sheremetev Palace. The household collection of Sheremetev Palace was also developed by two samovars dating to 19 – 20th centuries. Part of the transferred items will replenish the "Photographs, posters, sheet music” Division of the Museum; the library will expand its collection of the “Yearbooks of the Imperial Theatres”, monographic works about the Soviet actors and singers.