|
Memorial
Collection of Stepan Stepanovitch Mitusov
S. Mitusov
with daugthers
|
S. Mitusov in a student uniform
|
The name of
Stepan Stepanovitch Mitusov (1878-1942) will be discovered by many people
as a new one in the history of Russian culture of the beginning of the
20-th century.
Stepan Stepanovitch, a cousin of Elena Ivanovna Roerich, "inseparable
companion of my childhood", as she wrote about him, a disciple of
N.A. Rimskiy-Korsakov, a coworker and a friend of N.K. Roerich, N.I. Richter,
I.Y. Bilibin, K.A. Mardzchanov, M.A. Bichter, a librettist of I.F. Stravinsky
was one of those creators whose life and artistic career flourished in
the epoch of the Silver Century.
The name of Mitusov was mentioned more than once in letters and publi-cations
of all four members of the Roerich family.
In 1920-ies Elena Ivanovna was writing about Stepan Stepanovitch in her
diaries. Nicolas Konstantinovitch Roerich many times mentioned in his
works the name of Stepan Stepanovitch. For example in 1937 Roerich wrote
in his diary on the list "Friends": "Styopa Mitusov was
always our vivid connection to the musical world. He was endowed with
great musical talent."
Yuriy Nikolaevitch, the eldest son of
the Roerichs was giving repeatedly high praise to his uncle. On one of
the fotos of the writing table of Yuriy Nikolaevitch we can see the fotoportrait
of Stepan Stepanovitch among other precious and necessary objects and
images. And finally the last member of the Roerich family, Svyatoslav
Nikolaevitch said remarkable words about S.S. Mitusov: "Stepan Stepanovitchwas
was basicly very, very talented. And that embraced the music and also
the fine arts because he could compose music and draw. He was a beautiful
man, very kind, a little bit from another world. Nicolas Konstantinovitch
loved him a lot. We all were fond of him". Miraculously some relics
of the Roerich - memorial objects, manuscripts, pictures, ancient books
were preserved in the family of Stepan Stepanovitch
вии семьи Рерихов - мемориальные предметы, рукописи, картины,
старинные книги.
S. Roerich and L. Mitusova, 1960
|
Liudmila Stepanovna Mitusova, the second daughter of S.S.
Mitusov, remembers that in the beginning of 1920-ies belongings of the Roerich
were taken by her farther from their apartment on Moika, 83: "Elena
Ivanovna in her letter to my farther asked him to take all belongings left
in their apartment". Later B.K. Roerich, artist's brother moved a part
of objects and manuscripts to his place. However even after that the Mitusovs
were keeping 80 pieces of art of N.K. Roerich, more than 40 objects of furniture
and also manuscripts, private belongings, documents, pictures of other artists,
porcelain and ceramics, silver ware of the Roerich family. In 1989 V.A.
Rosov, now the director of P.K. Kozlov Museum, made the first effort to
describe the Memorial collection of S.S. Mitusov. In His publication about
the collection V.A. Rosov wrote that "it has no full scientific description
and wasn't sufficiently studied that can cause big interest in the modern
period of formation of studies of the Roerich heritage as a science".
The collection was registered by the Department of architecture and art
monuments on the 12-th of October of 1992. Beginning from 1994 employees
of the Center prepared a number of publications based on the materials of
the collection but all this is only a small part that the culture can receive
from this collection preserved with patience and love by the last member
of the Mitusovs Liudmila Stepanovna.
Unfortunately the collection couldn't be safely kept
till our days. Many books, pictures and pieces of furniture were destroyed
during the siege. In 1956 73 pictures of Nicolas Roerich, 3 sketches of
Arkadiy Rylov and 2 watercolors of Alexandra Shekatihina-Pototzkaya were
added to the exposition of these artists in the Russian Museum. In 1958
after coming back to Russia Yuriy Nikolaevitch Roerich received in Moscow
an armchair of his farther and family fotos. In 1981 the Mitusov sisters
handed over to the Department of manuscripts of the Russian National library
autographs of I.F. Stravinskiy, N.K. Roerich, S.S. Mitusov and other famous
persons. In 1983 93 exhibits were sent to Altai museum of regional studies
in Barnaul. And finally in 1984 after the restoration of N.K. Roerich
museum-estate in Izvara a part of the furniture - a table, a sofa, 5 chairs
were included in the permanent exposition.
But in many years the collection wasn't only dispersed, it was also enlarged.
First of all by Yuriy Nikolaevitch Roerich in 1957-1960, for example he
gave 2 pictures of N.K. Roerich "The Himalayas" and "Village
in the mountains", letters, fotos and memorial objects. Also during
40 years Svyatoslav Nikolaevitch Roerich handed over books, letters, presents.
Some researchers of artistic activities of the Roerich and their disciples
(B.N. Abramov, T.V. Bakulina, P.F. Belikov, A.Y. Kalns, G.F. Lukin, K.Y.
Rudzitis, B.A. Smirnov-Rusetzkiy, Z.G. Fosdik, V.T. Chernovolenko and
others) made contributions to the Collection.
In general this heritage in the collection is having the following structure:
- autographs, personal belongings, books, fotos of Elena Ivanovna
- pieces of art, autographs, manuscripts, personal belongings, archaeological
discoveries, books. fotomaterials of Nicolas Konstantinovitch and letters
to him
- child's drawings and modelling, autographs and books, fotos and personal
belongings of Yuriy Nikolaevitch
- child's drawings and notes, autographs, books and fotos of Svyatoslav
Nikolaevitch
- besides the collection includes autographs and pieces of art of the
close relatives of the Roerich - S.S. Mitusov, B.K. Roerich and relatives
of E.I. Roerich by the side of the Golenishevs-Kutuzovs - prince P.A.
Putyatin, the Rizchovs, the Muromtzevs, the Pototzkies, the Shahovskies.
In spite of the fact that the collection was generally systematized and
is fully accessible for the researchers the main results of its studies
are still ahead. The museum status could give the second life to this
collection. According to the will of L.S. and T.S. Mitusov it will be
the basic fund of the Memorial museum of N.K. Roerich in St. Petersburg.
|
