“Kingdom of Ink” Exhibition
On September 11, 2026, the “Kingdom of Ink” exhibition will open in the Fifth Wing of Yusupov Palace on the Moika River, offering a fascinating journey through the history of writing in ink, from Ancient Egypt to the present day. Both adults and children are welcome!
The exhibition features more than one hundred objects from private collections. Among them are elegant antique inkwells, unusual writing sets, unique fountain pens, original handwritten documents and many other objects associated with the history of writing in ink.
The educational section of the exhibition covers thousands of years in the evolution of writing: from the reed pens of Ancient Egypt to goose quills, and from papyrus to parchment and eventually paper.
The exhibition features the following sections:
“Forgotten Writing Accessories” — pounce pots, blotting presses, pen wipers, oak galls and historical recipes for making ink.
“Russian Style” — a distinctive movement in Russian decorative and applied art, reflected in the design of inkwells and other writing accessories.
“The Wonderful World of Inkwells” — antique inkwells from different countries, remarkable for their variety of shapes, materials and artistic styles. Visitors will discover how women's inkwells differed from men's and learn about the stories and secrets of their former owners.
“The Ink Zoo” — a collection of elegant inkwells featuring animal motifs.
“Historical Handwritten Texts” — original documents and letters from past centuries. Here, visitors can explore examples of historical cursive handwriting, handwritten notarial documents and school handwriting copybooks dating from the 17th to the early 20th century. They will also discover what the handwriting of Pushkin and Dostoevsky looked like.
“Writing Accessories of the Soviet Era” — a section exploring the history of the Soviet period through popular inkwells and writing implements.
“Legendary Fountain Pens of the 20th Century” — famous models by Waterman, Parker and Sheaffer. These were the “iPhones” of the 20th century: innovative fountain pens whose introduction between the 1900s and 1960s repeatedly amazed and delighted customers.
“Transforming Fountain Pens” — unique, one-of-a-kind Russian fountain pens created using modern jewellery-making and manufacturing technologies.
The exhibits have been provided by members of the Iskatel Collectors' Club.
The exhibition will run until November 10, 2026.