Mr Ivanov congratulated the Moscow Kremlin museum staff on the exhibition’s opening and said that it is a sign of Russians’ growing interest in their country’s history. Mr Ivanov said in his remarks at the opening that the exhibition provides an objective portrayal of the era of Ivan the Terrible and Russia in the late XVI and early XVII centuries.
Mr Ivanov said that Boris Godunov, while known as a rather controversial figure, did a lot for Russian state building and for developing Siberia and the Urals. “Boris Godunov has been widely portrayed in literature and cinema, but has not often been the subject of an objective historical portrayal,” Mr Ivanov said, saying that he hopes this exhibition will help to fill these gaps.
Mr Ivanov visited the exhibition together with Yelena Gagarina, general director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
The exhibition is based around unique icons, manuscript miniatures, embroidery works and works by jewellers and arms makers. Many of these items were made on order for Boris Godunov and his relatives. The exhibition also displays written heritage, rare books, and memoirs of contemporaries.