Chinese art in state collections of Saint Petersburg: history of formation and classificstion

The subject of this research is the analysis of the distribution of Chinese art collections across the museums and libraries of St. Petersburg. The object of the research is the Chinese art collections held in state institutions of St. Petersburg. The author examines in detail the following aspects of the topic: 1. a brief history of collecting Chinese art in Russia; 2. Chinese art in the collections of the State Hermitage Museum; 3. Chinese art in the collections of the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera); 4. Chinese art in the collections of the State Museum of the History of Religion; 5. Chinese art in the collections of the National Library of Russia and the M. Gorky Scientific Library of St. Petersburg State University; 6. Chinese art in the collections of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Particular attention is paid to the classification, quantification, and analysis of Chinese art collections in St. Petersburg. The purpose of this article is to analyze the distribution of Chinese art collections across the museums and libraries of St. Petersburg. The novelty of this research lies in conducting a comprehensive inventory of Chinese works of art held in St. Petersburg collections, which enables their systematization by type and the determination of their total quantity, thereby shedding light on the principles governing their distribution among the city's institutions. The main conclusions of the study are as follows: the Hermitage’s collection of Chinese art is the most diverse and extensive; the collections at the Kunstkamera and the Museum of the History of Religion are closely tied to their respective institutional themes; while the collections held in libraries and academic institutes consist primarily of paintings and valuable manuscripts. The author’s particular contribution to this research lies in the classification, quantification, and analysis of Chinese art collections in St. Petersburg. This not only helps readers gain a complete and objective understanding of their current state but also assists researchers in conducting more in-depth studies of these collections.