Gravestone Depicting a Woman

myminifactory

This sculpture portrays a woman who exudes confidence, despite her attire hinting at a deeper vulnerability. Her dress is exquisite, crafted from intricate fabric that adds to her youthful appearance, making her look like a naive young girl. The State Museum of City Sculptures was established in 1932 with the aim of studying, restoring and preserving city sculptures and gravestones. This esteemed institution is responsible for maintaining many of St Petersburg's most iconic sculptures. The museum operates several branches across the city, but its main facilities are situated within the former grounds of the Aleksandro-Nevsky Lavra, which was bequeathed to the museum upon its inception. The Tikhvinskoe Cemetery at the Aleksandro-Nevsky Lavra was founded in 1823 and named after the Our Lady of Tikhvin Church, built between 1869 and 1873. In 1931, the church was shut down, and two years later, the cemetery became a branch of the State Museum of City Sculptures, known as the Necropolis of Masters of Culture. This branch is so named because many prominent figures from Russian culture are laid to rest here, including writers Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Karamzin and Ivan Krylov; composers Aleksandr Borodin, Mikhail Glinka, Modest Musorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Pyotr Tchaikovsky; and artists Boris Kustodiev, Ivan Kramskoy and Ivan Shishkin, among countless other renowned names.