A podgolovnik is a type of Russian small chests. Travelers put such chests under their head during rest (hence the name from the Russian word “golova” meaning “head”). Podgolovniks were used to store documents, valuables, money, and letters. They were popular among different segments of the population: they were found in peasant huts, in the houses of townspeople, in the chambers of the highest nobility, and in royal mansions. For a long time these items were manufactured in the vast territories of the Russian North and in other regions of the country.

The Folk Art collection of the Russian Museum includes the presented podgolovnik, made in 1750. It is of considerable size. The outer surfaces are covered in leather and smooth iron strips arranged in a “cage” pattern. There are openwork rosettes with a mica lining inside each square. There are openwork triangles in the corners of the lid and the upper side. The lock features an engraved inscription in a zigzag frame:

There are curved handles on the sides.

Inside the chest, there are nine compartments, eight of which have drawers. Four strips are nailed to the front side of each compartment (some of the strips have not been preserved). The ring handles and their round holders are made of brass. The width of the drawers is the same, but their height is different: the lower ones are the tallest, while the upper ones are the smallest. Their sides are assembled into a dovetail pattern. Drawers are placed on vertical and horizontal shelves cut into the top and sides. The chest was repaired, as evidenced by the replacement of forged nails with factory ones. In addition, there was an attempt to force the podgolovnik open: the two hinges with which the cover is attached to the upper side are broken.

The podgolovnik is solid, strong and reliable. This impression is enhanced by the symmetry and clarity of the ornament. The artisan placed the highest value on the direct purpose of the product — a repository of valuable things and documents. The overall artistic design is characterized by masculine crudity and severity, with all decorative elements being no more than optional additions.