Historism is a 19^th-century movement in architecture and art based on using and reimagining the artistic styles of past eras.

For a long time, European culture was dominated by classicism, which focused exclusively on ancient Greek and Roman standards. However, the development of science and archaeology, along with changing public attitudes, gradually broadened this perspective. It became clear that the heritage of other periods was just as valuable.

Instead of precisely copying ancient temples, creators began to boldly borrow elements of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and Oriental motifs. Jewellers, artists, and architects did not just replicate antiquity; they adapted its aesthetics to meet the needs of fast-growing cities during the industrial era. This was exactly when a demand arose for entirely new types of architecture: from railway stations, banks, and tenement houses to massive department stores, covered markets, theatres, and grand city halls.

Buildings of the new era were built of metal and concrete, and they needed to be decorated. The solution was found in citing the past. The choice of a particular style was often dictated by the function of the building. Lavish Neo-Baroque style was selected for theatres and opera halls due to its association with a festive atmosphere. Meanwhile, strict Neo-Classicism or Neo-Gothic style was preferred for universities and administrative buildings, highlighting their status and traditional continuity. Residential buildings also featured historical details. Mansion interiors featured a trend of styling rooms in stark contrast to one another: a gentleman's study could be done in the Gothic style, the living room – with Rococo motifs, and the smoking room in the Oriental style. In painting, proponents of historism strived for documentary accuracy, studying ancient texts, weapons, and clothing to authentically depict historical scenes. Because of this blending of various trends, historicism was often criticized for its lack of stylistic unity and was labelled as eclecticism – a mere mixing of elements. Nevertheless, this approach allowed fast-growing cities to be built quickly and functionally, successfully merging new engineering technologies with the familiar visual language of past centuries.

Whether a specific object or interior belongs to the era of historism can be determined by a number of characteristic features, the main one being the combination of an antique appearance and 19^th-century technology. The Industrial Revolution left undeniable marks on these items: perfectly even joints, stamped decor, and traces of machine processing. To cut expenses, makers masterfully mimicked luxury materials. Expensive cast bronze was replaced by spelter with gold plating, heavy wood – by tinted papier-mâché, and instead of natural stone, artificial marble and early plastics were used.

The museum Collection section of decorative art and jewelry features groups of items that display clear signs of historism as an artistic movement of the late 19^th century.
In Russia, historism was most prominently reflected in the "Russian" and "Neo-Russian" styles. Artisans revived pre-Petrine decorative patterns, copied the forms of antique ladles, stoups, and salt cellars, while also revitalizing traditional techniques, including elaborate enamelling and metal chasing.

A prime example is a salt cellar in the "Russian style," created by the A. Lyubavin firm in St. Petersburg in 1894. This piece, which also functions as a dessert vase, is adorned with a crowned monogram and the commemorative dates "1869" and "1894."
Another masterpiece of Russian jewelry art is a Ladle with enamel miniature "A Knight on patrol" (based on the painting by Vasnetsov “The Bogatyrs”), created at the Moscow branch of the K. Fabergé firm between 1908 and 1917.
Belonging to the same era are an elegant Jorum in the shape of bratina with a serving ladle, created in St. Petersburg in the 1880-1890s and a Russian style pitcher created in 1885 by Grachev brothers factory.
Distinct hallmarks of national design are embodied in the cylindrical short glass raised on three spherical feet. The piece features champlevé enamelling with geometric interlacing patterns, trefoils, and palmettes, crafted in St. Petersburg during the final quarter of the 19^th century as a collaborative work by the A. F. Petrov workshop, the Grachev firm, and the Grachev Brothers factory.

During the same period, in 1882, the craftsman I. F. Olsonius at the Grachev firm created a postal parcel shaped casket. It serves as an excellent example of the trompe-l'œil ("trick of the eye") trend popular in the era of historism, where the textures of simple, everyday materials were simulated with jewelry precision in noble silver. Finally, a travel cutlery set in the case, consisting of three folding items – a knife, a fork, and a spoon – stands as a striking testament to the high level of applied craftsmanship and changing standards of comfort.

Exhibits in the style of historism from the museum Collection vividly demonstrate that technical progress achieves artistic value only when it carefully inherits the traditions of the past.