4, rue du Pas de la Mule – 75003 Paris tel. 01 42 78 42 81 25, rue Bonaparte – 75006 Paris tel. 01 40 51 76 64   Home:   www.peterhof.fr   The Fedoskino School - History    What are now considered to be Russia’s oldest lacquer workshop and school were created towards the end of the XVIII century in Fedoskino, a tiny village located 30 miles from Moscow. The first school to be set up was given the name of one of its founders, Loukoutine. Shortly afterwards, in 1828, the newly-established school was granted the right by the Imperial Court to stamp the lacquered objects it manufactured with the royal coat of arms. This imperial honor conferred upon the school reflected the high degree of skill achieved by Loukoutine's artists.    In 1807, P.N. Vichniakov opened a workshop not far from Loukoutine. The two workshops operated side-by-side until 1904, when the Loukoutine School was forced to close. In 1910, the craftsmen from both workshops merged to form a single institution named Fedoskino, which continues to thrive.    The Peterhof Gallery presents a selection of the best Fedoskino paintings. The Fedoskino school is highly realistic and favorite themes consist essentially of portraits, landscapes, and scenes drawn from Russian folklore. Many paintings depict Fedoskino or one of the traditional villages on the outskirts of Moscow. The boxes may be decorated using trompe-l'oeil, with a range of exotic motifs imitating Scottish tweed, turtle shell, or ivory.    Modern-day Fedoskino is a village clustered around the ancestral school, populated exclusively by craftsmen. The miniature painting techniques have been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. Children are brought up in an artistic environment and learn to paint both at school and in their homes.   Copyright PETERHOF 2004-2009