The Louvre in Paris is one of the most famous and largest art museums in the world, attracting around 10 million visitors each year.

Originally, the Louvre building was a defensive fortress on the banks of the Seine, which later became one of the main royal residences.

The Louvre was opened in 1793. The museum occupies 73,000 square meters and contains artworks from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century, as well as exhibits from ancient times. Its collection includes about 35,000 items, some of which are 7,000 years old.

In 1907, the Louvre hosted an exhibition of Princess Tenisheva. For 6,000 exhibits, the museum allocated four huge halls of the decorative arts department and all the showcases in the Pavillon de Marsan. From May 10 to October 10, 1907, the exhibition was visited by 78,000 people.

The French, who had not heard of Smolensk since the time of Napoleon, were surprised that such a rich collection came from a quiet province.

The exhibition featured rare icons, Russian porcelain tableware, carvings in ivory and walrus tusk, royal garments adorned with silver and gold, kokoshniks with pearls, historical relics from the time of Peter the Great to Alexander III, folk crafts, and the best works from the Talashkino workshops.

Tenisheva was proud that the Russian folk dresses showcased in Paris influenced fashion and women's wardrobes. French women, receptive to innovations, adopted much from the Smolensk peasantry.

Maria wrote that she noticed the influence of Russian embroidery, dresses, sarafans, headgear, and zipuns. The term "blouse russe" even emerged. Russian creativity also reflected in jewelry, which pleased her greatly and was a reward for her efforts and expenses. It was evident that the exhibition made a strong impression on French artists and tailors.

Critics described the exhibition as a delight and revelation, noting the freshness of forms and richness of motifs.

One French art critic wrote about fantastic fish, winged geniuses, strange beasts, and landscapes with naive interpretations, executed in bright barbaric colors, yet seeking harmony. This art greatly attracted him. A real Russian boom began in Europe, and even Parisian fashion responded with collections of clothing featuring Russian motifs.

Behind the abundance of exclamation marks lay the question: "Could all this be made in Russia?"

Princess Tenisheva was the first to introduce Europe to the original world of Russian art.

For the collection of balalaikas painted in Talashkino by Golovin and Vrubel, Maria Klavdievna was offered huge sums of money. Newspapers wrote that the collection could become a gold mine if shown in different countries. However, all exhibits returned to Smolensk. Tenisheva appealed to the city authorities, renouncing ownership rights and setting three conditions: the museum must remain in Smolensk, no item should be transferred to another museum, and she wanted to continue to enrich the collection and maintain the museum at her own expense.

On May 30, 1911, the museum was ceremoniously handed over to the city of Smolensk.