Museum Of Decorative And Folk Art

Lonely Planet review

Just beyond the Garden Ring, this museum showcases the centuries-old arts and crafts traditions from all around Russia and the former Soviet republics. It includes all the goodies you might see in souvenir shops or at the Vernisazh market, but these antique pieces represent the crafts at their most traditional and their most authentic.

Of the 40,000 pieces in the collection, you might see painted Khokhloma woodwork from Nizhny Novgorod, including wooden toys and matrioshka dolls; baskets and other household items made from birch bark, a traditional technique from Siberia; intricate embroidery and lacework from the north, as well as the ubiquitous Pavlov scarves; playful Dymkovo pottery and Gzhel porcelain. Look also for the so-called `propaganda porcelain' - fine china decorated with revolutionary themes.

The museum is known for its impressive collection of Palekh - the black lacquerboxes and trays that are painted with detailed scenes from Russian fairytales. The collection fills two rooms. It features, among others, pieces by Ivan Golikov and Ivan Markichev, often considered the originators of the Palekh style.