Five Byzantine icons worth going to the Tretyakov Gallery for. Icons in the Tretyakov Gallery - ragioniere Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

From the very beginning of his collecting activity, the founder of the museum, P.M. Tretyakov, was planning to create a "public (folk) art museum", the collection of which would reflect "the progressive movement of Russian art," according to Pavel Mikhailovich himself. He devoted his whole life to the realization of this dream.

Pavel Mikhailovich acquired the first icons in 1890. His collection numbered only sixty-two monuments, but according to the Russian scientist, historian Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev (1862-1936), P.M. Tretyakov's collection was considered “precious and instructive”.

At that time in Moscow and St. Petersburg were known private collectors, collectors of icons - I.L.Silin, N.M. Postnikov, E.E. Egorov, S.A. Egorov and others. Tretyakov acquired icons from some of them. According to the just remark of the famous artist and art scientist, director of the Tretyakov Gallery, Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (1871-1960), Tretyakov differed from other collectors in that “he was the first collector among the collectors to select icons not according to plots, but according to their artistic meaning, and he was the first to openly admit their true and great art, having bequeathed to add their icon collection to the Gallery ”.

Savior in strength

The will was fulfilled in 1904 - icons acquired by P.M. Tretyakov, were included in the gallery's exposition for the first time. It was organized by Ilya Semenovich Ostroukhov (1858-1929) - an artist, member of the Gallery Council, and also a well-known collector of icons and paintings (after his death, in 1929, the collection entered the Gallery's collection). To arrange a new iconic hall, he invited scientists Nikodim Pavlovich Kondakov (1844-1925) and Nikolai Petrovich Likhachev, who developed the concept, were able to scientifically systematize and group the monuments for the first time, and publish a catalog.

Unknown icon painter, late 14th century. Deesis rank ("Vysotsky")
1387-1395
Wood, tempera
148 x 93

The name and dating of the rank are associated with the events of the life of its customer - the abbot of the Serpukhov Vysotsky monastery Athanasius the elder.

This exposition was designed by the famous Russian artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926). According to his sketches, showcases imitating icon cases were made in the Abramtsevo workshops - in them all the icons collected by Tretyakov were presented. Such display of icons did not exist then in any Russian art museum. (It should be noted that some icons were exhibited back in 1862 in the Moscow Rumyantsev Museum and in 1890 in the Historical Museum, but the icons were exhibited while the objects of church antiquity, and not as works of art. They were not restored, they were dark, dirty, with loss of the paint layer).

Andrey Rublev
Savior in strength
1408 g.

It is noteworthy that the opening of the hall of ancient Russian icon painting in the Gallery took place in the early years of the 20th century - the period of the birth of the restoration business in Russia, when a professional scientific study of ancient Russian art began.

In 1918, despite the tragic post-revolutionary events, the "Commission for the preservation and disclosure of monuments of ancient painting in Russia" was organized. This commission was headed by the then director of the Tretyakov Gallery, I.E. Grabar. The commission was engaged in the systematic identification of ancient monuments, expeditionary and exhibition activities.
In 1929-30-ies, after restoration exhibitions, by the decision of the then government, it was decided to turn the Tretyakov Gallery, as the largest museum of Russian art, into a center for the study of the cultural heritage of the ancient period of our history. In those years, our museum received many monuments of ancient Russian art from a variety of sources, including reformed museums and private collections. These acquisitions basically formed the current collection of ancient Russian art in the Gallery.

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"Image" in Greek is an icon. In an effort to emphasize the purpose and nature of the painting of the Byzantine Orthodox world, the term "icon painting" is often referred to it in its entirety, and not just to the icons itself.
Icon painting played an important role in Ancient Russia, where it became one of the main forms of fine art. The earliest ancient Russian icons had the tradition, as already mentioned, of Byzantine icon painting, but very soon in Russia their own distinctive centers and schools of icon painting arose: Moscow, Pskov, Novgorod, Tver, Central Russian principalities, "northern letters", etc. There were also their own Russian saints , and their own Russian holidays (the Intercession of the Theotokos, etc.), which were vividly reflected in icon painting. The artistic language of the icon has long been understood by any person in Russia; the icon was a book for the illiterate.
Among the visual arts of Kievan Rus, the first place belongs to the monumental "painting". The system of painting temples, of course, was adopted by Russian masters from the Byzantines, and folk art influenced ancient Russian painting. The frescoes of the church were supposed to convey the main provisions of the Christian doctrine, serve as a kind of "gospel" for the illiterate. " In order to strictly follow the canon prohibiting writing from nature, icon painters used in the form of samples either ancient icons, or icon-painting originals, sensible, which contained a verbal description of each icon-painting plot (“Prophet Daniel the Young is kudrevat; cinnabar ", etc.), or facial, i.e. illustrative (breakthrough - graphic representation of the plot).
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In the mid-1930s, a scientific department of ancient Russian art and a restoration workshop were created in the Gallery. A new exposition was opened, in which the principles of historical and artistic display of monuments were observed, the main centers, stages and directions in icon painting of the 12th-17th centuries were presented.
A number of valuable icons, sometimes very ancient ones, entered the Gallery as a result of expeditions to the Russian North and central regions conducted by the Gallery's staff in the 1960s and 1970s.

The collection now comprises more than six thousand storage units. These are icons, fragments of frescoes and mosaics, sculpture, small plastic, objects of applied art, copies of frescoes.

In pre-Petrine Russia, almost all painting was of an exclusively religious nature. And we can rightfully call all painting icon painting. All striving for beauty, craving for beauty, impulse and aspiration to the heights, to the realm of the spirit towards God, found their solution in church icons. In the skill of creating these sacred images, the most talented representatives of the gifted Russian people have reached the true heights of world sound.

Unknown icon painter, mid-16th century
"Blessed is the army of the heavenly king ..." (Militant Church)
Mid 16th century
wood, tempera
143.5 x 395.5

The icon was executed for the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where it was housed in a special icon case near the royal place. The name is borrowed from the liturgical hymns of Octoechos dedicated to the martyrs. The content of the icon echoes the hymns of Octoichus and other liturgical books, in which the martyrs are glorified who sacrificed their lives for the sake of true faith and received Heavenly bliss as a reward. The idea of ​​the icon is also associated with specific historical events: as most researchers believe, it was performed in memory of the capture of Kazan by Russian troops in 1551. Under the leadership of the Archangel Michael on a winged horse, the warriors move in three rows from the burning city (apparently, they mean Kazan) to the Heavenly City crowned with a tent (Heavenly Jerusalem), standing on the mountain. The victors are greeted by the Mother of God with the Christ Child and angels with crowns flying towards the host.
Judging by the numerous historical evidences, contemporaries saw in the Kazan campaign of Ivan the Terrible, rather, a struggle for the establishment and spread of the Orthodox faith. It is no accident that in the middle of the army, the icon depicts Saint Constantine the Great, Equal to the Apostles, in imperial robes, with a cross in his hands. Apparently, Ivan the Terrible himself should have been symbolically present in the image of Constantine on the icon, who was perceived as the continuer of his work. The theme of spreading and establishing the true faith was further emphasized by the presence on the icon of the first Russian saints Vladimir, Boris and Gleb (they are depicted almost immediately after Constantine). The multi-figure and narrative composition of the composition, the unusual format of the board are due to the fact that, in fact, this is no longer a completely iconographic image, but rather a church-historical allegory glorifying the victorious Orthodox army and the state, executed in traditional forms of icon writing.
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The flowering of Russian icon painting as such falls on the pre-Petrine era. Having experienced in the process
After the Petrine era, Russian icon painting fell into decay, continuously degraded, finally turning into handicraft works of artisans. At the beginning of the 20th century, the talented artists Nesterov, Vasnetsov, and others tried to bring Russian icon painting out of the stagnant situation in which it was, but a number of objective and subjective reasons did not make it possible for a true revival of this holy art to occur and did not create anything that could stand in one a number of immortal creations of spiritual painting of pre-Petrine Russia.

By its very tasks, by its very purpose, icon painting is fundamentally different from the seemingly close and similar mundane portraiture. If the portrait necessarily presupposes the existence of a certain nature, which the artist accurately reproduces, trying not to shy away from the portrait resemblance, then the icon painter, whose task is to reproduce the sacred image or some specific theological thought, clothed in the most intelligible embodiment for the worshipers, can, according to his talent, understanding, to a certain extent, to evade the "iconographic originals" approved by church practice and to give its own solution to the task that has arisen before it.

Unknown icon painter, early 13th century Deesis: Savior, Mother of God, John the Baptist
First third of the 13th century. Wood, tempera. 61 x 146

From this it becomes clear the meaning that the ancient church rules attached to the personality and behavior of the icon painter during the work on the icon. Thus, in the famous collection of Resolutions of the Council of 1551, known as Stoglav, the requirement is given that the icon painter should be “humble, meek, reverent; he lived in fasting and prayer, keeping with all fear the purity of his soul and body. " In the same "Stoglava" we will find a certain requirement for the indispensable adherence to the old "icon-painting originals", so that the sacred images, created again, do not break with the traditions established since ancient times and are immediately familiar and understandable to every worshiper.

The icon depicts the miraculous transformation of Christ on Mount Tabor in front of His disciples - the apostles Peter, James, John, the appearance of the prophets Elijah and Moses, and their conversation with Christ. The composition is complicated by scenes of Christ's ascent with the apostles on Mount Tabor and their descent from the mountain, as well as images of prophets brought by angels. The icon can presumably be regarded as a work of Theophanes the Greek or his workshop.

The main principle that lies in the work of the icon painter is sincere religious enthusiasm; the artist knows that he is faced with the task of creating an image for the mass of believers, an icon intended for prayer.

From the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, where she entered in 1591 (?) From the Assumption Cathedral in Kolomna. According to an unreliable legend, the Don Cossacks presented the icon to Prince Dmitry Ivanovich before the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 (preface to the supplementary book of the Donskoy Monastery, compiled in 1692). Ivan the Terrible prayed in front of her on July 3, 1552, setting off on the Kazan campaign, and in 1598, Patriarch Job named her the kingdom of Boris Godunov. Since copies of the icon of the Don Mother of God are associated with Moscow, it is most likely to be made in the 90s of the XIV century, when Feofan moved from his workshop from Novgorod and Nizhny Novgorod to Moscow. With the intercession of the icon (after the prayer of Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich in front of her) tied the salvation of Moscow from the raid of the Crimean Tatars of Khan Kazy-Girey in 1591. In memory of this event, the Donskoy Monastery was founded in Moscow, for which an exact list was made from the original. One of the most revered miraculous icons in Russia. Belongs to the iconographic type "Tenderness".

Russian icon painting developed its definite and firmly defined style in the 14th century. This will be the so-called Novgorod school. Researchers see here a direct correspondence to the artistic dawn of Byzantium of the Paleologian era, whose masters worked in Russia; one of them is the famous Theophanes the Greek, who painted between 1378 and 1405. some Novgorod and Moscow cathedrals, was the teacher of the brilliant Russian master of the XIV-XV centuries. Andrey Rublev.

Andrei Rublev Trinity.

Andrei Rublev's icon "Trinity" entered the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery in 1929. It came from the Zagorsk History and Art Museum-Reserve, which is now called the Sergiev Posad Museum. Rublev's icon "Trinity" was cleared among the very first monuments at the birth of restoration work in Russia, in the era of the Silver Age. There were still very many secrets that are known to today's masters, they did not know, revered, especially revered icons were covered almost every century, recorded anew, covered with a new layer of paint. In the restoration business there is such a term, disclosure from the later painting layers of the first author's layer. The icon "Trinity" was cleaned up in 1904, but as soon as the icon got back into the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral, it quickly darkened again and had to be rediscovered. And already finally it was revealed in the Tretyakov Gallery by Ivan Andreevich Baranov. Then they already knew that it was Andrei Rublev, because the inventory was preserved, it was known that the icon was commissioned by the successor of Sergius of Radonezh, Nikon of Radonezh, in praise of Elder Sergius. The icon cannot go to exhibitions, because its state of preservation is rather fragile.

The strength of Rublev's "Trinity" lies in its noble and philanthropic aspirations. Its marvelous colors are gentle, delicate. The whole structure of painting is highly poetic, enchantingly beautiful.

"Trinity" means infinitely many things, it carries a very deep symbolic meaning, it carries the experience and interpretations of centuries-old Christian dogmas, the centuries-old experience of Christian spiritual life.
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Rublev and his followers belong to the Moscow school. His work is the next step in comparison with Theophanes the Greek, whose works are typical of the Novgorod school and its more archaic Pskov variety.

The Novgorod school is characterized by large massive figures of saints, with a large size of the icons themselves. They were intended for vast and majestic temples, generously erected by the rich and pious population of the "lord of the great Novgorod." The tone of the icons is reddish, dark brown, bluish. The landscape - stepped mountains and the architecture of buildings - porticoes and columns - are largely close to the true nature of the territory of Alexandria and adjacent regions, where events took place in the lives of the saints and martyrs depicted on the icons.

Unknown icon painter, Novgorod school
Fatherland with selected saints.
Early 15th century
wood, tempera
113 x 88

The icon comes from the private collection of M.P. Botkin in St. Petersburg. This is a relatively rare type of image of the Trinity in Orthodox art, representing God the Father in the form of an old man, God the Son in the form of a youth or infant, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (in Russian art, this is the oldest image of this type that has come down to us). On the throne is an old man in white robes with a cross halo: he blesses with his right hand, and holds a scroll in his left. On his knees is the young Christ, who holds a sphere with a dove in his hands. Above the back of the throne, two six-winged seraphim are symmetrically depicted, and near the foot there are "thrones" in the form of red wheels with eyes and wings. On either side of the throne, on the "pillar" towers, are the pillars Daniel and Simeon in brown monastic robes. At the bottom right there is a young apostle (Thomas or Philip) with a scroll. An elder in white robes with a cross halo represents a special iconographic type based on the Old Testament vision of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 7).

Unknown icon painter, XIV - early XV century
Nikola with his life.
Late XIV - early XV century
Wood, tempera
151 x 106

According to legend, it was brought from Constantinople to Moscow in the XIV century by Metropolitan Pimen and placed in the altar of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Such icons were especially appreciated by Russian craftsmen. Hodegetria translated from Greek means a guidebook.

The type of faces of the saints and the Mother of God is also not Russian: oblong, "Byzantine". Later, in the Moscow school, this characteristic detail more and more takes on a Slavic connotation, finally turning into typical Russian round faces in the works of the brilliant "tsarist iconographer" of the 17th century Simon Ushakov and his school.

Comes from the Church of Michael the Archangel in Ovchinniki in Zamoskvorechye. Received in 1932 from the Central State Museum of Fine Arts.
Accordingly, one can undoubtedly also note the very concept of divinity and holiness, which both these schools put in. On the back the inscription: In the summer of 7160 (1652), this icon was written off from the most miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Vladimir and measure, and wrote Sovereign icon painter Siman Fedorov. Conception of June 19 day (hereinafter illegible).

The magnificent brilliant Byzantium, whose capital Constantinople, according to the testimony of all historians and memoirists, was the richest city in the world, and its emperors viewed themselves as the earthly representatives of Almighty God, demanding almost divine worship for themselves. Naturally, with the help of icons, they strove to strengthen their authority and strength. The saints of the Byzantine school, for the most part, in the same way as their reflections, which then passed onto the walls of Novgorod cathedrals and monasteries, are stern, punitively strict, majestic. In this sense, the amazing frescoes of Theophanes the Greek will be characteristic, which (leaving aside all the differences in eras and techniques) involuntarily resemble the sternly restless figures of Michelangelo's Roman frescoes.

In the middle of the 17th century, the famous "tsarist iconographer" Simon Ushakov became famous in Russia, personifying the new Moscow school, reflecting the splendor and wealth of the life of the Moscow tsarist court and the boyar nobility that had stabilized after the Time of Troubles and foreign intervention.

The works of this master are distinguished by their particular softness and roundness of lines. The master strives to express not so much and not only the inner spiritual beauty, but the outer beauty and, we would even say, the “beauty” of his images.

Researchers, not without reason, see Western influence in the work of this school and, first of all, “Dutch Italian masters of the second half of the 16th century”.

Royal gates
Mid-15th century

If the works of Ushakov and his comrades were mainly intended for churches, then the need of wealthy people for a beautiful "measured" icon for home prayer was satisfied by the Stroganov school, the most famous masters of which are: Family Borozdin, Istoma Savin, Pervusha, Prokopy Chirin, fully represented in the gallery, in their artistic credo they are quite close to Ushakov's school. No wonder most of them worked in Moscow with great success.

Unknown icon painter of the 12th century, Savior Not Made by Hands (right)
Second half of the XII century. Wood, tempera. 77 x 71

The external double-sided icon was in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where it was most likely brought from Novgorod in the middle of the 16th century. Some researchers believe that it could have been performed for the Church of the Holy Image on Dobryninskaya Street in Novgorod (there is chronicle news of the renovation of this temple in 1191). Orthodox Church tradition attributes the creation of the original Not-Made-by-Hands image to Christ himself and considers this icon as evidence of the Incarnation, the coming of the Son of God into the world in human form. The main goal of the Incarnation was human salvation through the atoning sacrifice. The symbolic image of the atoning sacrifice of the Savior is represented by the composition on the back, which depicts the Cross of Calvary, crowned with a crown, and the archangels Michael and Gabriel, carrying the instruments of the passions - a spear, a cane and a sponge. The cross is erected on Calvary with a cave in which the skull of Adam is located (this detail is borrowed from the iconography of the Crucifixion), and above it are seraphim, cherubim and allegorical images of the Sun and the Moon.

Tabernacle. Managed to take one photo. This is how it looks. The content is impressive!
Must see!

On July 6, the Church honors the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. As you know, one of the greatest shrines of Russia has long been transferred to the Church, prayers are performed in front of it and candles are lit. How the life of the ancient shrine in the temple can be organized and when it is possible to pray in front of it, the "NS" correspondent learned.

In the church-museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi, in a special bullet-proof icon case, the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is kept. The required temperature is maintained inside the icon case

Recall that the shrine was moved to the church of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the State Tretyakov Gallery in 1999, on the feast of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon. At the same time, the temple was officially given the status of a temple-museum, with its own special museum regime. Since then, one can enter the church only through the doors of the Tretyakov Gallery from the side of Maly Tolmachevsky Lane, next to the bell tower. Before going up the stairs to the temple, it is necessary to leave outer clothing in the wardrobe and put on shoe covers.

Equipped as a museum hall with an artificially created climate, temperature regime and alarms, it at the same time remains an independent temple, where services are held on holidays and weekends and even candles are lit (although only natural wax candles are allowed). On weekdays, from 10 to 12 in the morning it is a temple, and from 12 to 16 - a museum.

A constant temperature regime is maintained in the temple premises; devices installed around the entire perimeter of the temple monitor it. A device that monitors the humidity in the temple

A special bulletproof icon case was made especially for the Vladimir Icon at the plant of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation. Inside the icon case, the temperature is +18 degrees and the relative humidity is about 60 percent. These are the climatic standards recognized as optimal for the preservation of tempera paintings painted on a wooden base. The safety of the icon, the operability of the air conditioner inside the icon case and security systems are checked daily by engineers - employees of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Fixing the icon. It is decorated with decorative cladding on the front.

The wooden carved icon case of the Vladimir icon from the back is more like a refrigerator - every day engineers, museum staff come to check the temperature regime inside the capsule, where the icon is kept and the activity of the alarm system

Bulletproof glass is also installed on the back of the icon, where the Instruments of the Passion of the Lord are depicted. The kiot stands in such a way that you can walk around the back of the icon and look at the image from both sides.

The second, exactly the same icon case, is located at the right side-altar of the temple. It was prepared for the "Trinity" icon created by the Monk Andrei Rublev. On the feast of the Trinity, for several days, the icon is exhibited in this icon case for worshiping believers. The rest of the time a copy is kept there. But the rector of the church, Archpriest Nikolai Sokolov, hopes that someday this shrine will also be available for believers in the gallery's home church, especially since all the necessary conditions have already been created for this.

To the right of the entrance to the central chapel is the second bulletproof icon case, with the ability to maintain special climatic conditions - it was prepared for the icon of St. Andrei Rublev - Trinity. Now, while the question of transferring this icon has not yet been resolved, a copy of it is kept in the icon case. But on the Feast of the Trinity, in the summer, an original icon is temporarily installed in this icon case.
History of the icon:
The icon came to Russia from Byzantium at the beginning of the 12th century (c. 1131), as a gift to Yuri Dolgoruky from the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke Chrysoverkh. Initially, the Vladimir Icon was located in the women's Monastery of the Theotokos in Vyshgorod, not far from Kiev. In 1155, Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky transported the icon to Vladimir (according to which it received its current name), where it was kept in the Assumption Cathedral. During the invasion of Tamerlane under Vasily I in 1395, the revered icon was transferred to Moscow to protect the city from the conqueror. Sretenka Street and the Sretensky Monastery are still located at the place of the "meeting" (meeting) of the Vladimir Icon by Muscovites. The icon stood in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, on the left side of the royal gates of the iconostasis. The robe of the Greek work on the icon of pure gold with precious stones was estimated at about 200,000 gold rubles (now it is in the Armory). In 1918, the icon was removed from the cathedral for restoration, and in 1926 it was transferred to the State Historical Museum. In 1930 she was transferred to the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Days of memory of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos:
The church celebration of the Vladimir Icon takes place three times a year: August 26 (September 8) in memory of the miraculous salvation of Moscow in 1395, June 23 (July 6) in memory of the final transfer of the icon to Moscow and the bloodless victory over the Tatars on the Ugra River in 1480 and May 21 (June 3) in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the raid of the Crimean Khan Makhmet-Girey in 1521.

When can you pray in front of the icon:
Every Friday at 17 o'clock the singing of the akathist is performed.
On Wednesdays at 10 o'clock in the morning, a prayer service for water is performed.
Every day from 10 to 12.00 you can pray in front of the icon and light a candle. In the "museum mode" - from 12.00 to 16.00, when the temple operates as one of the museum halls of the Tretyakov Gallery, the entrance to the temple is carried out only through the central entrance of the Tretyakov Gallery. You can also pray in front of the icon and leave a candle, which will be lit by the staff of the church during the service.

These icons have defended Russia for centuries. They stopped armies, healed the sick, and saved them from fires.

1. Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

According to legend, the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke himself. It was brought to Russia at the beginning of the 12th century as a gift to Prince Mstislav.

The icon was recognized as miraculous after it had withdrawn the invading troops from Moscow three times.

Now the icon is in the church-museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi at the Tretyakov Gallery.

2. Icon "Trinity"

The famous Trinity icon was painted by Andrei Rublev in the 15th century for the iconostasis of the Trinity Cathedral. Over the 600 years of its existence, the icon was refurbished five times, but after the restoration in 1919, the author's layer was again revealed.

Now the icon is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

3. Kazan icon of the Mother of God

The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God was found in the ashes in 1579 after the Mother of God appeared three times in a dream to the girl Matrona. Today the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is one of the most popular in Russia. It is believed that it was her patronage that helped Pozharsky's militia expel the Poles from Moscow.

Of the three miraculous lists, only the St. Petersburg one has survived to this day, now it is kept in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

4.Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God

It is believed that the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God was found in Tikhvin in 1383. The icon is revered as miraculous. According to legend, it was her intercession in 1613 that helped save the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery from the invasion of the Swedes.

Now the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God is in the Tikhvin Assumption Monastery.

5. Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos

The Smolensk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought to Russia in the 11th century. Many miracles were attributed to her, including the salvation of Smolensk from the invasion of Khan Batu in 1239.

There are many copies of the Smolensk icon, but the prototype was lost during the occupation of Smolensk by German troops in 1941.

6. Iberian icon of the Mother of God

The Iberian icon in the 9th century was kept in the house of a pious widow, who saved it from destruction by lowering it into the sea. Two centuries later, the icon appeared to the monks of the Iversky Monastery on Mount Athos.

In the 17th century, the list of the miraculous icon was brought to Russia. Today you can bow to the image in the Novodevichy Convent.

7. Don icon of the Mother of God

The Don icon of the Mother of God is double-sided; the Dormition of Our Lady is depicted on the reverse. The authorship of the icon is attributed to Theophanes the Greek. According to legend, the Cossacks presented this miraculous icon to Dmitry Donskoy before the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.

Today the icon is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery and leaves it every year on September 1 (August 19, old style). On this day, the image is transported to the Donskoy Monastery for the celebration of the festive divine service.

8. Icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos

The icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos dates back to the 12th century. In 1170, when Andrei Bogolyubsky besieged Veliky Novgorod, during a procession along the walls, an accidental arrow pierced the icon. The icon began to cry, and Bogolyubsky's troops fled in horror.

The image is still kept in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod.

9. Kursk-Root Icon of the Mother of God

The icon was found in a forest near Kursk on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1295. At the place of the newfound image, a spring immediately gushed out.

According to legend, after the Tatar-Mongol raid, the icon was cut in half, but as soon as its parts were combined, it miraculously "fused".

In 1920, the Kursk Root Icon of the Mother of God was taken out of Russia by the Wrangel army. Since 1957 it has been kept in the Synod of Bishops' Cathedral of the Sign in New York.

10. Theodorovskaya icon of the Mother of God

The exact date of the writing of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God is unknown, but the first mentions date back to the 12th century. The icon is considered miraculous, it escaped from the fire several times, and in 1613 the nun Martha blessed her son Mikhail Romanov with this icon when she was elected to the kingdom.

You can worship the miraculous icon in the Epiphany-Anastasi nunnery in Kostroma.

11. Pskov-Pechersk icon "Tenderness"

Icon "Tenderness" is a copy of 1521 from the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. According to legend, the Pskov-Pechersk Icon defended Pskov from the siege of the Polish king Stephen in 1581.

Now the icon is in the Assumption Cathedral of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.

12.Saint Nicholas (Ugreshskaya icon)

The Ugreshskaya icon appeared to Dmitry Donskoy on the way to the Kulikovo field in 1380. Later, a monastery was founded in that place, in which the image was kept until the closure of the monastery in 1925.

Now the miraculous icon is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

13. Icon "Savior Eleazarovsky"

The manifested image of the Savior of Eleazarovsky was acquired in November 1352. The icon was recognized as miraculous, and the tree on which the icon was found was walled up in the vault of the church built on the site of the icon's discovery.

Since August 2010, the icon of the Savior Eleazarovsky has been kept in the Spaso-Eleazarovsky monastery near Pskov.

14. Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nikola of Mozhaisky)

The icon was painted in the first half of the 17th century from the famous carved sculpture depicting Nicholas the Wonderworker with a sword in his hands. In 1993-1995, the icon was restored, revealing the lower layers of paint.

Now the image is in the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in Mozhaisk.

15. Icon of the Mother of God of the Seven-shot

The revealed image of the Seven-shot Icon of the Mother of God was found in the bell tower in Vologda. For many years, parishioners walked on it, mistaking it for a floorboard. The image was recognized as miraculous during the cholera epidemic in 1830.

To date, the revealed image has been lost, but one of the famous copies, the myrrh-streaming icon "Seven-shot", is in the Church of the Archangel Michael in Moscow.

16. Icon of St. Matrona of Moscow

Matrona of Moscow was canonized only in 1999, but her icon, painted in the 21st century, has already been recognized as miraculous. The list contains a particle of the veil and relics of the saint.

You can worship the shrine at the Intercession Monastery in Moscow.

17. Icon of Blessed Xenia of Petersburg

Blessed Xenia of Petersburg was canonized in 1988, but the blessed one began to be worshiped during his lifetime.

The most famous image is in the Smolensk Church in St. Petersburg, where everyone can bow to him.

18. Icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord

The icon of the Transfiguration of the Lord was written in 1403. For a long time, Theophanes the Greek was considered its author, but recent studies have shown that the icon was painted by an unknown icon painter of the same period. The creation of the image is associated with the restoration and re-consecration of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky.

Since the 20th century, the famous icon has been kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

19. Icon of St. Spyridon of Trimyphus

One of the miraculous images of Spiridon of Trimifuntsky is in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word on the Uspensky Vrazhka. Inside the icon is an ark with the relics of the saint.

20. Icon of St. Basil the Blessed in prayer to Christ

The icon was painted at the end of the 16th century for the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat, which is better known as St. Basil's Cathedral.

The icon is still kept in the same place and is one of the oldest images of the temple.

21. Savior Not Made by Hands of Simon Ushakov

The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands was painted by Simon Ushakov in 1658. The icon painter was criticized for the uncharacteristic image of the face of Christ, but later this very image became the most popular in Russia.

Now the icon is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

22. Icon of the Savior in the Powers of Andrei Rublev

The icon of the Savior in Power was painted by Andrei Rublev and his apprentices for the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir in 1408.

The icon can be seen in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

23. Icon of Seraphim of Sarov

One of the most revered icons of Seraphim of Sarov is kept in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow. The image is an exact copy from the cell icon of the schema-abode of Tamar and contains a rosary, part of the saint's mantle and part of the stone on which he prayed for a thousand days.

Back in school we were taught not to take religious art seriously. Well, what is there - they did not know the perspective, could not realistically portray a person and so on. Deacon Kuraev, in his lecture on icon painting, recalls funny facts about the Soviet idea of ​​icons.

I discovered Russian icons in the Tretyakov Gallery. I think that if we recognize the right to painting only for realism, it is impossible to appreciate the beauty of an icon.

On closer inspection, icons turned out to be an absolutely new art for me. Moreover, it is absolutely self-sufficient on the one hand and simple on the other.

Russian icon painting, a little history.

The Russian (Byzantine) icon appeared on the wreckage of ancient art. By the 9th century, after a period of iconoclasm, the ancient tradition in the east had ceased to exist. A completely new art appeared, far from the ancient tradition - icon painting. It originated in Byzantium and continued to develop in Russia.

However, with Russia's acquaintance with Western European art, although icon painting continued to exist, it was no longer considered the limit of perfection. The Russian elite fell in love with the baroque and realism.

In addition, icons in the Middle Ages were covered with linseed oil for preservation. And it darkened with time. In addition, a new one was often superimposed over the old image. Even more often the icons were hidden in the frames. As a result, it turned out that most of the icons were hidden from view.

Old Russian art was rediscovered at the end of the 19th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century it experienced real recognition.

This was the period when people began to show interest in the ancient national art and the technique of restoration appeared. Opened I am the world as a result of the restoration of images that shocked contemporaries.

Perhaps this is what gave impetus to the development of Russian abstract art. The same Henri Matisse, examining the collection of Novgorod art in 1911, said: "French artists should go to study in Russia: Italy gives less in this area."

Images of the Mother of God

One of the greatest Byzantine icons on display in the Tretyakov Gallery is the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

It was created in Byzantium and came to Russian soil in the XII century. Then Vladimir prince Andrey Bogolyubsky built for her

The image of the Mother of God with a baby clung to her belongs to the type of icon of Tenderness. Such images began to spread in Byzantine and Russian art in the XI-XII centuries. Then appeared "Canon for the lamentation of the blessed virgin Mary". In the western tradition, it is called Stabat mater.

“About Thy terrible birth and strange, My Son, more than all mothers, I was exalted: but alas, I, now they see You on a tree, I will burn in my womb.

Glory: I see My womb in my arms, in them I hold the Baby, from the tree of acceptance, the thing is Pure: but no one, alas, I will give this.

And now: Behold My Light, sweet, Hope and My Good Belly, My God has died out on the Cross, I am inflamed with my womb, Virgin, groaning, verb. "

The image of the Mother of God and Child of the "Tenderness" type reinforces the text of the canon.

Another beautiful icon on the same theme, "affection" - the Don Mother of God Theophanes the Greek, is also in the Tretyakov Gallery.

An older image of the Mother of God can also be seen in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Our Lady of the Incarnation - an icon of the 13th century from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery

Such an icon is called - Orant but. There are many similar images in the catacombs and early Christian churches. Here the main meaning is given to the descent of the son of God to earth through the Mother of God. In this interpretation, Mary is the "gate of light" through which grace comes into the world. In other words, a pregnant Mother of God is depicted here.

Images of the Holy Trinity

Another icon, which is admired by not a single generation of those who have seen it, is the trinity of Andrei Rublev. To understand and appreciate the beauty of this work, I also propose to plunge into the history of the issue.

Trinity: father, son and holy spirit were still in the Hellenic tradition - the cult of the god Dionysus. I do not know whether it migrated from there to Christianity, or from somewhere in the east, but this idea is much older than the new testament and the symbol of faith.

The New Testament trinity (God the father, the son and the holy spirit) in the Orthodox tradition could not be depicted. This would contradict the concept of an eternal, incomprehensible and triune God: “ No one has seen God, and never". Only the Old Testament Trinity can be depicted.

In fairness, despite the canonical prohibition, the imagesNew Testament Trinitywidespread to this day. Despite the fact that the definition The Great Moscow Cathedral 1667 such images are prohibited.

Icon "Fatherland with selected saints" XIV century Novgorod. In my opinion, the New Testament Trinity is clearly depicted here.

In the Catholic tradition, the New Testament Trinity was often depicted.

Robert Campin "Trinity". In the Catholic tradition, the Trinity was portrayed literally: the Father, the crucified Jesus, the holy spirit in the form of an angel. Painting from the Hermitage

The image of the Old Testament Trinity is based on the legend of Abraham.

The book of Genesis describes an episode when a god appears to Abraham in the form of three angels.

“And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to the tent, in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood opposite him. Seeing, he ran to meet them from the entrance to the tent and bowed to the ground, and said: Master! if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant; and they will bring a little water, and wash your feet; and rest under this tree, and I will bring bread, and you will strengthen your hearts; then go; as you are walking past your servant ... And he took butter and milk and a calf prepared, and set it before them, and he himself stood beside them under a tree. And they ate "(Genesis 18: 1-8)

It is this plot that is depicted as the Holy Trinity, it is also called "the hospitality of Abraham."

Trinity XIV century Rostov

In early images, this plot was depicted with maximum detail: Abraham, his wife Sarah, an oak tree, Abraham's chambers, a servant slaughtering a calf. Later, the historical plan of the image was completely replaced by the symbolic one.

There is nothing superfluous in the Trinity of Andrei Rublev. Only three angels are perceived as one. Their figures form a vicious circle. It was the Rublev Trinity that became the canonical image and served as an example for subsequent generations of icon painters.

Methods and techniques of icon painting, reverse perspective

For a correct understanding of icon painting, it must be borne in mind that icon painters did not seek to depict reality. They had another task - to portray the divine world. This is where the techniques are not typical for realistic painting.

For example, using reverse perspective. (This is when the lines do not converge to the horizon, but diverge).

However, this was not always used, but only when the artist wanted to emphasize the special closeness of the object to us. The icon also uses a parallel perspective - when the lines do not converge on the horizon, but run parallel.

An interesting icon of the workshop of Theophanes the Greek "Transfiguration".

It also depicts events taking place at different times.

I love this icon very much, it's hard for me to tear myself away from it.

Here the transformation of the Lord is depicted not Mount Tabor. Divine light emanates from Jesus, below the apostles Peter, James and John the Theologian fell prostrate. Above are the prophets Moses and Elijah. Above them, the angels who bring them to this place. Under the mountain is a group of apostles, one group climbs the mountain, the other descends the mountain. These are the same apostles depicted at different times.

The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the most famous museums in Russia and throughout the world. The extensive exhibition covers the period from the eleventh century to the present day. It is difficult to imagine that the Tretyakov Gallery, whose halls have become a reflection of Russian art from antiquity to the present, began with a private collection.

Home collection

The Tretyakovs purchased the house in Lavrushinsky Lane in 1851. The head of the family, Pavel Mikhailovich, was a successful businessman, but at the same time he was a famous philanthropist, invested in many charitable programs. He was an avid collector, collecting paintings, sculptures, icons and other works of art.

He had a global goal - to create a national gallery, not just a museum. The collection began with ten paintings by Dutch masters. Initially, the Tretyakov Gallery, whose halls were open only to family members and guests, was in the house where the Tretyakovs lived. But the collection grew very quickly, and there was not enough space for a demonstration. During the life of the owner, numerous reconstructions were made. And even under Pavel Mikhailovich, the townspeople had the opportunity to visit such a cultural institution as the Tretyakov Gallery. The halls expanded, and the exposition grew constantly. The popularity of the museum is evidenced by the fact that in the first four years its visitors were over 30 thousand people.

40 years after the beginning of the collection, he donated it to Moscow. The collection was supplemented by works of art kept by the second brother, Sergei. This is how the Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov Gallery appeared in Moscow. Another well-known philanthropist Morozov passed on the masterpieces of Renoir, Van Gogh, Monet. Despite the transfer to the city, both patrons continued to replenish the collection. After the death of the Tretyakovs, the entire house in Lavrushinsky Lane was taken over by the city.

New life of the collection

In 1913, I.E. Grabar was appointed the gallery's trustee and director. He was not only a talented artist, architect and art historian, but also an organizer. It was he who did the colossal work of systematizing the collection. He distributed the canvases by historical periods so that visitors have the opportunity to trace the development of Russian art. Under him, a restoration workshop was also founded. At the end of the year, the works hanging in the hall of the Tretyakov Gallery were available for viewing by the general public.

After the revolution, the entire assembly was nationalized and transferred to the young republic. The State Tretyakov Gallery was created, the halls of which became accessible to all segments of the population. The collection has expanded significantly through the merger with other museums and the transfer of private collections that were nationalized during the Soviet era.

During the war, museum funds were taken to Novosibirsk. The Nazis bombed the capital mercilessly. In 1941, two high-explosive bombs hit the Tretyakov Gallery, causing significant damage. But the very next year, the restoration of the museum began, and by 1944 the doors of the gallery, beloved by the inhabitants of the capital, opened again for visiting.

Halls of the Tretyakov Gallery

From the very foundation of the gallery, the building was rebuilt many times. New passages and additional rooms were created to make the collection appear in all its glory. Today the exposition is located in 106 rooms. Most of them are located in a building in Lavrushinsky Lane, there are 62 of them. The complex also includes the Museum-Temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the workshop-museum of Golubkina, the Vasnetsov House-Museum and the Korin House-Museum. Each room in the Tretyakov Gallery is an opportunity to touch art, see ingenious masterpieces. The collection contains over 150 thousand exhibits, most of which are familiar to everyone from childhood. Reproductions of many paintings were included in school textbooks throughout the country. From these pictures you can get to know Russia. After all, our sea is like forests - like Shishkin's, nature, like Levitan's. Even the best portrait of Pushkin, known to every schoolchild, is exhibited here.

Hall of icon painting

In every corner of the Tretyakov Gallery there are paintings that will take your breath away. But, perhaps, one of the most mysterious halls is the hall of icon painting. During the transfer of the collection, Pavel Mikhailovich, along with the paintings, handed over 62 icons from his collection. Now there are several hundred of them in the museum. Each of them reflects the path of Orthodoxy on Russian soil. Among them are works by Rublev, Theophanes the Greek and other famous icon painters. And in the home church of the Tretyakov Gallery, one of the most revered and ancient images is exhibited - the Vladimir Mother of God. She is over 900 years old.

Exposition in Lavrushinsky lane

The main part of the collection is concentrated in the building in Lavrushinsky Lane, with the famous Vasnetsovsky facade. In 62 rooms, divided into 7 zones, the works of the best masters of Russia and not only are exhibited in chronological order. How large and varied the Tretyakov Gallery is. The description of the halls would take several volumes of the printed edition. Going on an excursion, it is better to choose a specific artist or painting to devote most of the time to. Otherwise, acquaintance with the galleries will be very superficial and incomplete. The names of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery correspond to the collections exhibited in them.

Thus, ancient Russian art is represented by icon painting.

And in the halls of the 18th-19th centuries, canvases by the great masters Levitsky, Rokotov, Ivanov, Bryullov are exhibited. A special room was built to demonstrate Ivanov's painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People". And Rokotov became famous for the largest number of portraits of unknown persons. It was important for him to capture and convey on the canvas the features and character of a person, but at the same time he did not have to be famous at all. Of the works of Bryullov, one can note the masterfully executed work "Horsewoman", where a young girl with amazing grace sits astride a magnificent stallion.

The hall, which displays the works of artists of the second half of the 19th century, also grabs attention. Here you can immerse yourself in the magical world of realistic art, where every detail is executed with amazing care. In Repin's paintings, one can physically feel how the sun is hot on the lawn, how each leaf sways from the wind. And Vasnetsov's "Three Heroes" seem to defend the country's borders from uninvited invaders even today. By the way, here you can also see the works of Vasnetsov Jr.

Surikov's paintings "Boyarynya Morozova" or "The Morning of the Strelets' Execution" convey the emotional intensity of each participant in those events. There is not a single indifferent person or random character here. Everything is written with an authenticity that boggles the mind.

The section, reflecting the painting of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, presents the works of such geniuses as Serov, Vrubel, as well as representatives of the Union of Russian Artists.

Treasures of Russian art

The Tretyakov Gallery is great and varied. Halls, paintings, sculptures, graphics will not leave anyone indifferent. A separate part of the exposition is the "Treasury", where items made of precious metals and gems are exhibited. The fine work of the jewelers is fascinating.

Graphic arts

A separate room is dedicated to graphic art. All works presented in this technique are very afraid of light, they are fragile creations. Therefore, for their demonstration, special lighting was mounted, slightly dimmed. The largest collection of Russian graphics is exhibited here. And also a small, but no less valuable collection of porter miniatures.

Modern Art

The building on the Tretyakov Gallery presents art from the Soviet period to the present day. Visitors observe with interest how ideology influences the artist.

Halls of masters

In the collection there are single works, and there are entire collections of paintings by one master. The hall dedicated to the artist in the Tretyakov Gallery contains only his works from different periods. This is the exposition of Shishkin's works. But other masters of the brush were awarded the same honor.

Since its opening, the Tretyakov Gallery has become the richest collection of paintings and art objects. Even the Russian Museum, created at the state level, was inferior in popularity to this private collection.