Today we introduce you to the life story of Yakov Pamfilovich Seryakov (1818 – not earlier than 1869). The publication of the biography of this outstanding self-taught Russian sculptor and recognized master of ivory portrait carving continues the project of David Iakobachvili "Returning forgotten names," which was launched in 2021.

The first stage of this initiative was the presentation of a large-scale catalogue "The Fyodor Lorie Firm and Jeweler Egor Cheryatov," accompanied by the exhibition "Fyodor Lorie and Egor Cheryatov. The restoration." Work on this catalogue is essentially the recovery of a unique cultural heritage. Today, items created by Lorie and Cheryatov are a great rarity, even in the collections of major state museums. This makes the opportunity to examine and systematically study these exhibits in the museum Collection and within the pages of our catalogue even more valuable.

The next important milestone of the project was the publication of the catalogue "Mihály Zichy. The collection of David and Mikhail Iakobachvili." Thanks to the significant volume of published material – over 260 works – the edition allows for a full appreciation of the multifaceted legacy of the Hungarian artist who served the Russian Imperial Court for over half a century.

The biography of Yakov Seryakov, which we present today, is yet another step toward restoring historical memory and returning the names of the artisans who brought glory to Russian art.