The exhibition begins with one of the most vivid stylistic trends in 17th-century art, the Stroganov School.
Perhaps no other family in Russian history has played a more prominent role in the development of various art forms over the course of centuries than the Stroganovs. Such concepts as the “Stroganov icon” and “Stroganov ecclesiastical embroidery” didn’t come into existence without reason. “Stroganov art” emerged as a defined school of painting at the end of the 16th century among icon painters of the tsarist court, receiving its name from its clients and patrons: members of the distinguished Stroganov family. On the reverse sides of many works on display at the exhibition are owners’ and artists’ signatures—a phenomenon previously unknown in Medieval art. Thanks to these inscriptions the names of icon painters Procopius Chirin, Semyon Khromoi (Khromets), Master Pervusha and others are known to us today.
Stroganov icons are marked by complex, meticulously detailed compositions; elaborate iconographic programmes; a subtle sense of style; fine, calligraphically precise draftsmanship; and a palette containing new, formerly unheard-of shades of pink and blue (The Massacre of the Holy Fathers in Sinai and Raif and The Deposition of the Sash of the Mother of God (both by Master Pervusha); and The Parable of the Prodigal Son, The Parable of the Publican and The Works of the Prophet Jonah). Images of the Virgin Mary on Stroganov icons are distinguished by their aristocratic lyricism and faultless artistic mastery (The Palestinian Mother of God by Semyon Khromets and Our Lady of Kazan). The painting on the three-part folding icon Vladimir Mother of God Eleusa, with Feasts and Saints attributed to Procopius Chirin is executed with refined delicacy and subtle gold assists. The intimacy and lyricism marking this work would become primary elements of the Stroganov artistic style.
Especially noteworthy, in addition to icons created by Stroganov court painters, are items from the Solvychegodsk workshops, where the art of silk and gold embroidery underwent rapid development around the turn of the 17th century. One of the earliest objects of Stroganov embroidery is the large shroud The Deposition. A donor’s inscription in the work’s center informs us that Nikita Grigorievich Stroganov “placed” it in Solvychegodsk Annunciation Cathedral in 1592. Inscriptions and signatures on embroidered works would form a kind of memorial record of the Stroganov dynasty.
Achieving particular renown in the mid-17th century was the gold embroidery workshop of Dmitry Andreevich Stroganov’s wife Anna Ivanovna. Among the exhibition’s exhibits from this workshop are the large shroud Tsarevich Dmitry of 1656 and the epigonation The Transfiguration, with Zosimas and Sabbatius of Solovki dating to 1658. Intended for festive processions, the shroud bears a finely executed donor’s inscription in a handsome cartouche on its reverse side. Metallic thread was primarily used in its creation (the clothing and background are sewn completely in gold, while the contours are highlighted with silver thread). In the young tsarevich’s visage we note the peculiar “childlike” features typical of the Stroganov School. The use of large amounts of gold; the fine, precise couching; and the dense satin-stitch embroidery on the faces in thin twisted pearl-gray silk with highly contrasting filigree shadows, or so-called “eyeglasses”—all these are characteristic features of Stroganov ecclesiastical embroidery.
Dating to the mid-17th century are the two small shrouds Our Lady of Kazan and Savior Not Made by Hands, whose iconic images bear a surprisingly close resemblance to the masterful “Usolsk enamel” works of Solvychegodsk silversmiths.
The Stroganov gold embroidery workshops occupied a leading position, surpassing all rival workshops in the Kremlin, monasteries and provinces and determining to a significant degree the development of this type of ecclesiastical art throughout the 17th century.
All works of the Stroganov School are distinguished by precise, masterful technical execution, thoroughness of finish and elegance of design. Without abandoning traditions of the past, artists working for the Stroganovs created their own inimitable style: refined, colorful and at the same time discreetly noble.
Also active in Solvychegodsk, Moscow and other cities were master silversmiths working on commission from the Stroganovs. Surviving documents mention “Mikitin” or “Nikitin” (Nikita’s) silversmiths. The name Nikita Grigorievich Stroganov can be found on an inscription on a carved wooden cross dating to 1610 and placed in a reliquary adorned with a basma (embossed silver) setting. A beautiful embossed oklad also adorns Procopius Chirin’s fine painted folding icon Vladimir Mother of God Eleusa, with Feasts and Saints.
The Stroganov workshops produced not only ecclesiastical items but also lay implements marked by subtle taste and skillful execution. Examples of these on display at the exhibition are silver cups belonging to Maksim Yakovlevich Stroganov, a ladle belonging to Grigory Dmitrievich Stroganov and a miniature box and cup decorated in splendid multicolored enamel.
