Evolution of private collecting in Russian manor houses

The article examines the evolution of the private collecting practices in manor houses of Russian nobility. The author identifies three major periods in the manor collecting during the period of the XVIIIth - the beginning of the XXth centuries. First, manor collecting was a matter of fashion, available to a very small circle of court aristocracy of capital cities and aimed at creating an atmosphere of European way of life. During the second period collecting was a part of the lifestyle of provincial nobility, their manors and the discovery of a national theme for collectors. In the third period this practice becomes widespread, public, recognized by the educated part of the society and leads to the emergence of museum-manors of various types