The collection of the Feodor Chaliapin Estate Museum includes the singer’s silver ring with gilding for the role of Boris Godunov in the opera of the same name by Modest Mussorgsky. The ring is decorated with inlays of imitation gems: a large red stone and 12 pearl beads.

The story of how this priceless exhibit became part of the museum’s collection is told by the musician and essayist Alexander Less in his book “Stories about Chaliapin”. In 1964, the Bolshoi Theater was on tour at La Scala in Milan. Among the productions brought to Italy was Modest Mussorgsky’s opera “Boris Godunov”. The part of Tsar Boris was sung by the famous bass Ivan Petrov. The day after the performance he received a phone call and got invited to come to the director’s box in the evening. It turned out that he had been invited by Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin’s daughter Marina.

At intermission, Petrov went into the director’s box and saw an elegant, beautiful gray-eyed woman who said,

She took a blue box out of her bag and produced from it a massive silver ring, the one that is now on display at the Estate Museum on Novinsky Boulevard.

The singer froze in shock, and then said,

The outstanding opera singer Ivan Ivanovich Petrov, who repeatedly and with great success performed the part of Boris Godunov in Mussorgsky’s opera of the same name, never dared to wear this theatrical ring of his genius colleague.

And when the museum of Feodor Chaliapin was opened in Moscow, Petrov decided that the right decision was to have this “piece, made for the stage by the most skillful prop maker” displayed “for all to see” in the great actor’s home. “The daughter and granddaughter of Feodor Ivanovich, who came [to Moscow], did not reproach me for ‘regifting it’, but, actually, welcomed my idea, ” confessed the wonderful singer and person.