This year, for the first time in 15 years, the State Hermitage has brought to Moscow a previously unseen exhibition from its own funds.

The exposition is dedicated to the ceremonial and everyday life of the Russian Court - one of the most magnificent royal courts in Europe. Works of painting and graphics, archival documents, samples of weapons, items made of precious metals were presented.

But, the main exhibits are costumes and accessories. The State Hermitage presented clothes and personal belongings of Russian emperors and empresses, members of the imperial family, representatives of aristocratic families, court ladies and gentlemen, servants of the Imperial Court of the time of the last Romanovs.

The collection of court costumes from the mid-19th - early 20th centuries brought from St. Petersburg created an atmosphere of official ceremonies and church holidays, masquerades and balls in the halls of the Historical Museum.

Each dress presented in the window is a true work of art. These are perfectly matched combinations, luxurious fabrics (velvet, brocade, silk), the finest lace and hand embroidery.

The dress of that era is a set of two skirts: lower and upper, two or three corsages, changing according to the occasion. More closed dresses with long sleeves and a collar were worn in everyday life, with open shoulders and chest - for evening outings.

Evening dress (business dress) of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Paris, Charles Worth fashion house. 1892-1893 Velvet, satin, lace, silk and metallic threads; hand and machine work, embroidery

Home dress of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Russia? Around 1890. Plush, cloth, lace, silk, gilded thread. Hand and machine work, embroidery.

The exhibition featured a large collection of footwear, from slippers to boots, chic stockings, of all colors and sizes, fans and hats, for any, even the most sophisticated, taste.

Empress Maria Feodorovna's shoes. St. Petersburg, firm H.Inte. 1880s. satin, reps, leather, patent leather; manual and machine work.

The exposition left an amazing impression. Elegant, luxurious dresses and accessories captivating with their beauty and originality.

For puppeteer masters, such exhibitions are a magical storehouse of inspiration. After all, the theme of the historical Russian costume is inexhaustible.

So I did not remain indifferent, my next collection of dolls is designed in folk Russian style. I tried to reflect a striking event in the history of the Romanov royal family, a costume masquerade ball held in 1903 in the Winter Palace.

The event itself was truly royal: 400 guests, unique costumes adorned with precious stones, created with the participation of historians. The outfits, exactly, conveyed the spirit of the pre-Petrine era.

The dressmakers and dressmakers of the theatrical workshops, day and night, sewed magnificent dresses that cost their owners a fortune. Ladies were supposed to be in kokoshniks and sundresses, cavaliers - in the costumes of boyars, archers and falconers.

The costumes have survived to this day, thanks to the photographs taken that evening, a valuable historical source. Some of the surviving examples of dresses are still kept in the Hermitage.

I was not faced with the task of repeating the outfits from the famous photo. Creating images, I rely on the canons of costumes of the 17th century.

Material prepared Natalia Korzhueva