The main business of the life of Ivan Hrisanfovich was collecting, he will devote his remaining 25 years of his life. Living in close proximity to the historic places associated with the dramatic events in the history of the war of 1812 − crossing the Grand Army of the River Berezina, Kolodeev could not fail get excited about the history of the region. He began his research with the study of the Berezina water system, hatched plans for create a channel Riga-Kherson, assembled a collection of cards of Minsk province late XIX − early XX centuries. Due to its investigations to determine the exact location Kolodeev pontoon bridges in 1812 on the Berezina River and on the anniversary of the crossing (14 November 1901) found in their place monuments that failed to keep to the present day.
Library of Ivan Hrisanfovicha with love going a quarter-century, there were more than 11 000 volumes, in 1913 was donated to the Museum of Moscow of 1812. And thirteen years later the Belarusian government requested the return of the national heritage in the «homeland». At present, it is stored in the National Library of Belarus (Minsk), partially lost during II World War 1941-45. In Moscow stay another part of the collection of Ivan Hrisanfovicha (documentary, fiction, real), bequeathed to them besides the Museum of 1812, and the will of fate, was in the State Historical Museum. I.H.Kolodeev art collection, including works of painting and printmaking, photographs, maps, postcards, has more than three thousand items and is a separate «Fund IH Kolodeev» at the Moscow State Historical Museum.
Section «Russian Portraits» includes 960 engraved and lithographed portraits of heroes and participants of the 1812 war, statesmen and public figures of Russia, the contemporaries of era. Among the rarities Kolodeev meeting may be called engraved portraits of Russian generals work of the English artist of the first quarter of the XIX century Denis Dighton (1792-1827), in the technique of etching with watercolor hand-coloring. Of the twelve known Russian portraits, executed by the artist in kolodeevskom meeting were five portraits of P.I.Bagration, F.F.Vintsingerode, M.I.Kutuzov, M.I.Platov, F.V.Rostopchin.
«Foreign Section» of I.H.Kolodeev art collection consists of portraits, battles, military scenes of camp life, images of uniforms and the Great Russian armies monuments. Only about two thousand engravings and lithographs, made mainly in European workshops originals Francois Gerard, Charles Mayne, Robert Lefebvre, Jacques Louis David and many others.
Battle genre in Novoborisovskoe collection of Kolodeev different variety. Here not only the battle, were on the territory of Russia, but also the early Napoleonic wars, and foreign campaigns of the Russian Army (1813-1814). In quantitative terms is dominated by the engraved plates with scenes of the retreat of the French army. Among them a special place is given unpreserved today picturesque panorama «Berezina» of Polish artists Yu.Falat and V.Kossak (1897), reproduced in the collection of Kolodeev in posters, playbills, prints, and open letters.
Novoborisovskoe story about collection of Ivan Hrisanfovicha Kolodeev would be incomplete without a mention of the paucity section «Genuine era relics». The list of items sent to Moscow for widow of collector in 1915 were «Napoleon's razor, old weapons from the river Berezina, coins, glass service with portraits of the heroes of 1812, table, bronze medallions, model of the monument and other». For his contribution to the study of the history of the War of 1812 landowner of Minsk province Ivan Hrisanfovich Kolodeev was awarded the title of Chamberlain of the Imperial Household (6 December 1912).
