Icons in the Tretyakov Gallery list. One of the most ancient icons in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery is the Annunciation icon from Novgorod, early 12th century

February 12th, 2014

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

I discovered icons in the Tretyakov Gallery. At that time, I was prepared for the perception of the icon, because I have long been interested in abstract art. I think if the right to painting is recognized only for realism, it is impossible to appreciate the beauty of the icon.

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

The Russian (Byzantine) icon appeared on the ruins 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 the acquaintance of Russia 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 baroque and realism.

In addition, icons in the Middle Ages were covered with drying oil for safety, and it darkened over time, often a new image was superimposed on top of the old image, and even more often the icons were hidden in salaries. As a result, it turned out that most of the icons were hidden from view.

ancient Russian art was rediscovered at the end of the 19th century, and at the beginning of the 20th century 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 world as a result of the restoration of the images shocked contemporaries.

Perhaps this is what gave impetus to the development of Russian abstract art. The same Henri Matisse, examining the collection 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 exhibited in the Tretyakov Gallery - this is an icon of the Vladimir Mother of God.

It was created in Byzantium and came to Russian soil in the 12th century. Then the Prince of Vladimir Andrey Bogolyubsky built for her the Assumption Church in Vladimir

The image of the Mother of God with the baby clinging to her belongs to the type of the Tenderness icon, such images began to spread in Byzantine and Russian art in the 11th-12th centuries. At the same time, the “Canon for Weeping” appeared. Holy Mother of God". In Western tradition, it is called Stabat mater.

Mother of God Simona Shakova

“About your terrible and strange Christmas, My Son, more than all mothers, the former Az was exalted: but alas for Me, now seeing You on a tree, I break apart in the womb.

Glory: I see My womb in my arms, in them I hold the Child, from the tree, accept, pure things: but no one, alas, will give this to me.

And now: Behold, My Light, sweet, Hope and My Good Life, My God has died away on the Cross, I break apart in the womb, Virgin, groaning, saying.

The image of the Mother of God with the Child in the “Tenderness” type reinforces the text of the canon.

Another beautiful icon on the same theme of “tenderness” is the Don Mother of God Theophan the Greek, also located in the Tretyakov Gallery

More ancient image the Mother of God can also be seen in the collection 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 Oranta. There are many similar images in the catacombs and early Christian churches. Here the main meaning is given to the descent to earth of the son of God through the Mother of God, who in this interpretation is the “gate of light” through which grace comes into the world. In other words, the pregnant Mother of God is depicted here.

Another icon that no generation of those who have seen it admires 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.

The trinity: father, son and holy spirit was still in the Hellenic tradition - the cult of the god Dionysus. I don’t know whether it migrated to Christianity from there, or from the east, but this idea is much older than New Testament and a creed.

The New Testament trinity (God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) could not be depicted in the Orthodox tradition. This would be contrary to the concept of an eternal, incomprehensible and triune God: " No one has ever seen God". You can only depict the Old Testament trinity.

To be fair, despite the canonical ban, imagesNew Testament Trinitywidespread to this day, although it seems to be the definition Great Moscow Cathedral in 1667 were banned.

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

Robert Campin "Trinity". In the Catholic tradition, the Trinity was depicted 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 was based on the legend of Abraham. The book of Genesis describes an episode when God appears to Abraham in the form of three angels. "And he appeared to him the Lord by the oaks of Mamre, when he sat at the entrance to the tent, during the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood before him. Seeing, he ran towards them from the entrance to the tent and bowed to the ground, and said: Lord! if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant; and they will bring some water and wash your feet; and rest under this tree, and I will bring bread, and you will refresh your hearts; then go; for you are passing by your servant... And he took butter and milk and a calf cooked, and set it before them, while he himself stood beside them under a tree. And they ate” (Gen. 18:1-8)

It is this plot that is depicted as a holy trinity, it is also called "hospitality of Abraham."

Trinity XIV century Rostov

In early images, this story was depicted with maximum details: 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 a symbolic one.

There is nothing superfluous in Andrei Rublev's Trinity. Only three angels who 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, one must keep in mind that icon painters did not seek to depict reality, they had another task - to depict the divine world. This is where the techniques that are not characteristic of realistic painting come from.

An example is the use of reverse perspective. (This is when the lines to the horizon do not converge, but diverge).

However, this was not always used, but only when the artist wanted to emphasize the special proximity of the object to us. Parallel perspective is also used in the icon - when the lines do not converge on the horizon, but run parallel.

An interesting icon of the workshop of Theophan 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. It depicts the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor. Divine light emanates from Jesus, the apostles Peter, James and John the Theologian fell down below. Above the prophets Moses and Elijah. Above them, the angels who bring them to this place. Under the mountain of a group of apostles, one group goes up the mountain, the other goes down the mountain.

The Transfiguration of the Lord is a very important story in the Orthodox tradition; it seems to show the path of salvation, communion with divine glory. By observing the light that comes from Christ, we become a people “who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming into his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28)

A visit to the Tretyakov Gallery, which I previously associated only with "Morning in pine forest and St. Petersburg snobbery made me pass by this art gallery, led me to the idea that we need to be more attentive to what is nearby, brilliant things may turn out to be closer than we think and it is not at all necessary to go to Italy for them.

When writing the article, materials from the book "Masterpieces of the Tretyakov Gallery" Iconography, Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery 2012 were used.

Days of free visits at the museum

Every Wednesday, admission to the permanent exhibition "The Art of the 20th Century" and temporary exhibitions in (Krymsky Val, 10) is free for visitors without a guided tour (except for the exhibition "Ilya Repin" and the project "Avant-garde in three dimensions: Goncharova and Malevich").

The right to free access to expositions in the main building in Lavrushinsky Lane, the Engineering Building, the New Tretyakov Gallery, the house-museum of V.M. Vasnetsov, museum-apartment of A.M. Vasnetsov is provided on the following days for certain categories of citizens:

First and second Sunday of every month:

for students of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation, regardless of the form of education (including foreign citizens-students of Russian universities, graduate students, adjuncts, residents, assistant trainees) upon presentation of a student card (does not apply to persons presenting student trainee cards) );

for students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (from 18 years old) (citizens of Russia and CIS countries). On the first and second Sundays of each month, students holding ISIC cards have the right to visit the exhibition “Art of the 20th Century” at the New Tretyakov Gallery free of charge.

every Saturday - for members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Please note that conditions for free access to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for details.

Attention! At the ticket office of the Gallery, entrance tickets are provided with a face value of "free of charge" (upon presentation of the relevant documents - for the above-mentioned visitors). At the same time, all services of the Gallery, including excursion services, are paid in accordance with the established procedure.

Museum visit in holidays

Dear visitors!

Please pay attention to the opening hours of the Tretyakov Gallery on holidays. The visit is paid.

Please note that entry with electronic tickets is carried out in the order general queue. With return policy electronic tickets you can check on .

Congratulations on the upcoming holiday and we are waiting in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery!

Right of preferential visit The Gallery, except as provided for by a separate order of the Gallery's management, is provided upon presentation of documents confirming the right to preferential visits:

• pensioners (citizens of Russia and CIS countries),
• full cavaliers of the Order of Glory,
• students of secondary and secondary special educational institutions (from 18 years old),
• students of higher educational institutions of Russia, as well as foreign students studying in Russian universities (except for student trainees),
• members of large families (citizens of Russia and CIS countries).

Visitors to the above categories of citizens acquire concession ticket.

Right of free admission The main and temporary expositions of the Gallery, except for cases provided for by a separate order of the Gallery's management, are provided for the following categories of citizens upon presentation of documents confirming the right to free admission:

• persons under the age of 18;
• students of faculties specializing in the field visual arts secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of Russia, regardless of the form of education (as well as foreign students studying in Russian universities). The clause does not apply to persons presenting student cards of "trainee students" (in the absence of information about the faculty in the student card, certificate is provided from educational institution with the obligatory indication of the faculty);
• veterans and invalids of the Great Patriotic War, participants in hostilities, former underage prisoners of concentration camps, ghettos and other places of detention created by the Nazis and their allies during World War II, illegally repressed and rehabilitated citizens (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries);
• military servicemen of the Russian Federation;
• Heroes Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation, Full Cavaliers of the "Order of Glory" (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• disabled people of groups I and II, participants in the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (citizens of Russia and the CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled person of group I (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying disabled child (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• artists, architects, designers - members of the respective creative unions Russia and its constituent entities, art historians - members of the Association of Art Critics of Russia and its constituent entities, members and employees Russian Academy arts;
• members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
• employees of museums of the system of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the relevant Departments of Culture, employees of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and ministries of culture of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
• museum volunteers - entrance to the exposition "Art of the XX century" (Krymsky Val, 10) and to the Museum-apartment of A.M. Vasnetsov (citizens of Russia);
• guide-interpreters who have an accreditation card of the Association of Guide-Translators and Tour Managers of Russia, including those accompanying a group of foreign tourists;
• one teacher of an educational institution and one accompanying a group of students of secondary and secondary specialized educational institutions (if there is an excursion voucher, subscription); one teacher of an educational institution with state accreditation educational activities in an agreed training session and having a special badge (citizens of Russia and CIS countries);
• one accompanying a group of students or a group of military servicemen (if there is an excursion voucher, subscription and during a training session) (citizens of Russia).

Visitors to the above categories of citizens receive admission ticket denomination "Free".

Please note that conditions for preferential admission to temporary exhibitions may vary. Check the exhibition pages for details.

Tomorrow, an exhibition of unique exhibits from the collections will open in Lavrushinsky Lane Greek museums

State Tretyakov Gallery
February 7 - April 9, 2017
Moscow, Lavrushinsky lane, 10, room 38

The exhibition is organized within the framework of the cross year of culture of Russia and Greece. In 2016, the Ascension icon by Andrei Rublev and a whole exhibition of Russian icons and sculptures of the 15th-19th centuries from the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery were shown in Athens. The return exhibition in Moscow will present 18 exhibits (12 icons, 2 illustrated manuscripts, liturgical items - a processional cross, air, 2 katsei) from the collections of the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, the Benaki Museum, the collection of E. Velimesis - H. Margaritis.

The exhibits date back to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 16th century and give an idea of ​​the various periods of Byzantine art and different art centers. The exhibition allows you to appreciate the perfection of the work of the masters, as well as to understand the ways of comprehending the spiritual world in the Middle Ages, revealing the nuances in the exquisite color of icons, in luxurious miniatures of manuscripts, on the pages of which Byzantine artists sought to recreate the beauty of the mountain world.

At the exhibition, each of the works is a unique monument of its era. The exhibits provide an opportunity to present the history of Byzantine culture and trace the mutual influence of the traditions of Eastern and Western Christian art. The earliest monument in the exposition is a silver processional cross of the end of the 10th century with images of Christ, the Mother of God and saints engraved on it.

The art of the 12th century is represented by the icon "The Resurrection of Lazarus", which embodies the refined, refined style of painting of this time. The collection of the Tretyakov Gallery contains an icon of Our Lady of Vladimir of the same era, created in Constantinople in the first third of the 12th century and then brought to Rus'.

One of the most striking exhibits of the exhibition is a relief with the image of the Great Martyr George with scenes from his life. It serves as an example of interaction between Byzantine and Western European masters, which marked the beginning of the phenomenon of masterful crusaders - the most interesting page in the history of the XIII century. The wood carving technique in which the figure of St. George is made is not characteristic of Byzantine art and was obviously borrowed from the Western tradition, while the magnificent framing of stamps was created in accordance with the canons of Byzantine painting.

The icon of the Mother of God with the Child, painted at the beginning of the 13th century, presumably by a Cypriot master, demonstrates a different path of mutual influence of the medieval art of East and West. IN artistic culture During this period, associated with the revival of the empire and the Palaiologos dynasty, the movement towards ancient traditions was perceived as a search for one's cultural identity.

The mature style of art of the Palaiologos era belongs to the double-sided image of the Mother of God Hodegetria, with the Twelve Feasts. The Throne Prepared” at the end of the 14th century. This icon is a contemporary of the works of Theophanes the Greek. Both masters use the same artistic techniques - in particular, thin lines penetrating the faces of the Mother of God and the Child, symbolizing the energies divine light. This image, obviously, is a list from the miraculous icon of Constantinople Hodegetria.

On the wealth of decorative applied arts Byzantium is told several items, including a katseia (censer) with the image of the great martyrs Theodore and Demetrius and an embroidered air (veil) on the Holy Gifts.

The technique of the artists was especially virtuosic, decorating the manuscripts with complex exquisite ornaments in headpieces, initials and miniatures with images of the evangelists. The level of their mastery is demonstrated by two gospel codes - the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century.

The post-Byzantine period is represented by three icons of Greek masters who left for Crete after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. These works allow us to trace the synthesis of the creative finds of European art and the traditional Byzantine canon.

Byzantine artistic tradition stood at the origins of the formation of the art of many peoples. From the beginning of the spread of Christianity in Kievan Rus Greek artists and architects passed on to Russian masters the skills of temple construction, fresco painting, icon painting, book design, jewelry art. This cultural interaction continued for many centuries. From the 10th to the 15th century, Russian art went from apprenticeship to high skill, preserving the memory of Byzantium as a fertile source, long years spiritually nourishing Russian culture.

The exhibition "Masterpieces of Byzantium" is located next to the halls of the permanent exhibition ancient Russian art XI-XVII centuries, which allows the viewer to trace the parallels and see the features of the works of Russian and Greek artists.

Project curator E. M. Saenkova.

Source: State Tretyakov Gallery press release

13 Mar 2013 | From: site

The beginning of the collection of ancient Russian painting in the Tretyakov Gallery was laid by P.M. Tretyakov: in 1890 he acquired icons from the collection of I.L. Silin, exhibited in the halls of the Historical Museum during the VIII Archaeological Congress in Moscow. Subsequently, other acquisitions were made from other private collections, including from the collection of N.M. Postnikov, S.A. Egorov, antiquarian P.M. Ivanov. It included icons of Novgorod and Moscow schools; icons of Strogon letters (i.e. created in workshops owned the richest people Stroganov). Among these acquisitions were such masterpieces as the 15th-century icons "Tsar Tsar" ("Queen Appears"); "Good Fruits of Teaching" early XVII century, written by Nikifor Savin; "Metropolitan Alexei" of the 17th century.

The will of P.M. Tretyakov dated September 6, 1896 says: “The collection of ancient Russian painting ... to transfer to the Moscow city artistic name Tretyakov Brothers Gallery. The collection by this time consisted of 62 icons. In 1904, it was exhibited for the first time at the Gallery on the second floor in a room next to the halls. artists of the XVII I- first half of XIX century. According to the drawings of V.M. Vasnetsov, special showcases were made for icons in the Abramtsevo workshop. To classify the collection, Ilya Semenovich Ostroukhov (1858–1929), painter, collector, creator of the Museum of Icon Painting and Painting in Moscow, member of the Tretyakov Gallery Council (1899–1903), its trustee (1905–1913) invited N.P. Likhachev and N. P. Kondakova. The work ended with the publication Brief Description icons of the collection of P.M. Tretyakov ”in 1905 (see the edition of Antonov V.I. [Introductory article] // Catalog of Old Russian Painting. T. 1: M., 1963, pp. 7–8). I. E. Grabar, making a complete restructuring of the museum's exposition in 1913-1916, left unchanged only the icon painting department.

Until 1917, the collection of ancient Russian paintings was not replenished, only in 1917 the Gallery Council acquired a large icon of the Pskov school of the 15th century "Selected Saints", which is now on permanent display. (See edition of N.V. Rozanova [Introductory article] // Old Russian art of the X-XV century. M., 1995, p. 10).

After the revolution of 1917, the Tretyakov Gallery from the Moscow city art gallery turned into a state one, eventually becoming a treasury of Russian art. By a decree of October 5, 1918, the National (later State) Museum Fund (1919–1927) was created, where nationalized collections and individual works of painting, applied art, archaeological and numismatic collections flock, then distributed to museums. Through the National Museum Fund from the Moscow Kremlin, the Gallery received in 1919 the icon "Church Militant".

After the revolution, the department of ancient Russian art (as part of the exposition was called) successfully existed until the reorganization of the Gallery in 1923. At this time, by decision of the Main Directorate of Scientific, Scientific and Artistic and museum institutions(Glavnauka), which existed as part of the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros) of the RSFSR (1922–1933), the Academic Council was created, which at its meeting on May 3, 1923 approved a list of 11 departments of the Tretyakov Gallery, deciding to rename the department of ancient Russian art to the department of ancient Russian painting . By that time, the Gallery's iconography collection consisted of 70 icons and one parsuna (7 icons were purchased at the expense of the museum itself). Since the volume of the Old Russian collection was small, it included integral part to the department painting XVII I century. The Department of Painting of the 18th - the first half of the 19th centuries was headed by Alexander Mitrofanovich Skvortsov (1884-1948), who combined this position with the position of Deputy Director of the Gallery.

In 1924, by the decision of the People's Commissariat of Education, the Tretyakov Gallery became a museum of painting of the 18th-19th centuries, and items of ancient Russian sewing, plastic arts, iconography from the mid-1920s were transferred to the State Historical Museum in the department of religious life. IN Historical Museum there were icons from the collection of P.I. Shchukin, brought as a gift to this museum in 1905; works of ancient Russian painting from the collection of Count A.S. Uvarov, received in 1917–1923 under a will. In 1924–1927, the famous collections of icons by S.P. Ryabushinsky, A.P. Bakhrushin, Bobrinsky, A.A. Brocard, Guchkov, Giraud, Sollogub, Kharitonenko, P.P. Shibanov, Shirinsky-Shikhmatov, O.I. and L.L. Zubalov, E.E. Egorova, N.M. Postnikova, S.K. and G.K. Rakhmanov, A.V. Morozov, as well as part of the collection of Christian antiquities from the collection of the Rumyantsev Museum and monuments that belonged to the museum of the Strogonovsky School. Later, in the 1930s, most of these works will be transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery.

In 1926, due to significant receipts, the exposition of ancient Russian painting, arranged by I.S. Ostroukhov back in 1904, had to be closed. A new addition to the collection of ancient Russian art was part of the collection of the I.S. Ostroukhov Museum of Icon Painting and Painting, which, after the revolution, was attached to the Tretyakov Gallery as a branch. After the death of I.S. Ostroukhov in 1929, his museum was closed, and the collections were moved to the Tretyakov Gallery.

The arrival of the collection of I.S. Ostroukhov and a number of other events (the reorganization of the historical and artistic anti-religious museum in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra into a local history museum; the restructuring of the department of religious life in the Historical Museum; the accumulation of a significant number of works in the fund of the Central State Restoration Workshops; the receipt of icons from closed churches to the fund of the Moscow Department of Public Education under the People's Commissariat of Education; the receipt of the collection of E.E. Egorov in the ethnographic department of the Rumyantsev Museum) predetermined the creation of the Old Russian department of the Tretyakov Gallery on new foundations. In addition, the construction of new buildings of the Gallery, which began in the late 1920s, allowed us to hope that the necessary premises for the department of ancient Russian art would soon appear.

At the end of 1929, a special commission was created in the Glavnauka of the People's Commissariat for Education. A.M. Skvortsov was appointed head of the department, and Alexei Nikolaevich Svirin (1886–1976), who came to work at the Gallery in the same 1929 from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Museum, where he worked as a researcher since 1920, and in further manager. At that time, A.P. Zhurov worked as an intern in the Department of Old Russian Art of the Gallery. A.N. Svirin was sent to Leningrad to get acquainted with the exposition of ancient Russian art in the State Russian Museum and an anti-religious exhibition in State Hermitage. Lists were made unique monuments and letters were sent to the largest museums in Russia with the aim of organizing an exhibition of ancient Russian art in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery. On April 16, 1930, the methodological commission of the Glavnauka of the People's Commissariat of Education determined the opening date of the department of ancient Russian art - May 15, 1930, and also approved the transfer of monuments from other institutions and organizations, approved the work plan of the department and the expeditionary plan for surveying provincial temples, churches and monasteries to search for works of ancient Russian art .

Yaroslav Petrovich Gamza (1897–1938) was appointed head of the exposition of ancient Russian art, I.O. In October 1930, at a meeting of the expanded commission of the People's Commissariat of Education, the results were summed up. The results were unsatisfactory. The question arose about the properly formed and equipped storage of icons, about the need to strengthen the staff of the department, about the restoration and publication of a separate catalogue. A.M. Skvortsov was removed from the head of the department.

In the early 1930s, Soviet art history captured the fascination with straightforward sociological concepts expressed in extreme form by F.M. It was carried out under the leadership of Alexei Aleksandrovich Fedorov-Davydov (1900–1968). In connection with these events there was a restructuring of the departments and their renaming. Instead of departments, sections of feudalism, capitalism, and socialism appeared. The Old Russian department, as before, became an integral part of the department of feudalism. In 1932, the Section of Feudalism was headed by Natalya Nikolaevna Kovalenskaya (1892–1969). In order to organize a new exposition, "revealing its class essence in art", the Gallery was forced to attract materials from other museums, which would make it possible to present in the halls a consistent historical development initial period Russian art. These exposition experiments to some extent prompted a systematic replenishment of the Old Russian department.

In 1932, the Tretyakov Gallery, together with the Central State Restoration Workshops (TsGRM), organized seven expeditions to survey churches, monasteries and villages in the Moscow region, the Volga region, the Arkhangelsk region, Novgorod and Pskov. In the first half of the 1930s, icons were taken to the Gallery - "Assumption" from the Tithes Monastery in Novgorod, "Dmitry of Thessalonica" from Dmitrov, Kostroma and Belozersky monuments of the XIV-XV centuries, including the "Assumption" of 1497 from Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, part of the Deesis tier of the Ferapontovskaya monastery, written by Dionysius and his sons, a group of small icons of the XIV-XV centuries from Zagorsk (Trinity-Sergiev Posad) and a masterpiece - "Trinity" by Andrei Rublev. In 1931, the Gallery received a collection of Alexander Ivanovich Anisimov (1877–1939) with early Novgorod icons.

The transfer of newly discovered monuments from the TsGRM has become systematic. To replenish the monuments more early periods withdrawals have been made first-class works from antiques. So, in 1931, the Gallery got works - "The Myrrh-Bearing Wives" of the 16th century, in 1933 - the Novgorod icon "Fatherland" of the beginning of the 15th century from the St. Petersburg collection of M.P. .I.Silina. Thus, active collection enriched the Gallery in the 1930s-1940s with many monuments. Among them, we should mention the arrival in 1935–1938 of the collection of A.I. and I.I. Novikovs from the Church of the Assumption on Apukhtinka, as well as several works from Kolomna and large group icons from Rostov the Great and its environs (selected and exported these icons by N.A. Demin), and in 1938 - mosaics of Dmitry Solunsky from Kyiv. The shouldered deesis of the 12th century and the image of Boris and Gleb on horseback of the 14th century, handed over together with some works of the 16th-17th centuries from the State Armory of the Moscow Kremlin in 1936-1940, were the most valuable additions to the icon collection of the Gallery. In 1935, when the funds of the Anti-Religious Museum of Art were distributed, the Gallery received a number of significant works by Moscow masters of the 16th-17th centuries, originating mainly from Moscow churches and monasteries - Novodevichy, Donskoy, Zlatoust, from the churches of Gregory of Neokesariysky on Bolshaya Polyanka and Alexei the Metropolitan "in Glinishchi". In the same year, the collection of G.O. Chirikov was acquired through Antiques. These receipts, as well as the receipt in 1945 of the icon of Metropolitan Alexy with a life written by Dionysius, are associated with the participation of N.E. Mneva in the restoration work carried out in the Kremlin cathedrals.

The collection of ancient Russian art of the Tretyakov Gallery lacked some links to compile complete picture about the diversity of painting of the 17th century, with its abundance of masters. These links were replenished by the transfer of the collection of E.E. Egorov from State Library named after V.I. Lenin, which was until that time in the library vaults. The most valuable signature icons of Russian artists of the 17th century were purchased for the Gallery by the State Purchasing Commission (SPC). In 1938, a small icon of the Archangel Michael trampling the devil, painted by Simon Ushakov in 1676, was purchased, and in 1940, the icon of Our Lady of Vertograd imprisoned, painted around 1670 by Nikita Pavlovets, and the Deesis of the Shoulder by Andrei Vladykin, created in 1673. Thus, in 1940, the Gallery received the rarest image of St. Barbara, belonging to the Novgorod painting of the 14th century, through the GZK.

The first half - the middle of the 1930s was marked not only by acquisitions. The Gallery's funds did not escape the seizures, which swept through all the museum and library collections of the country like a wave. Dozens of icons, by order of the government, were issued to Antiques for sale abroad.

Among the many expositions of the department, which changed throughout the 1930s, a short-lived exhibition of icons, exhibited in 1936 in seven halls of the lower floor of the Gallery, deserves attention. In the second half of the 1930s, the methodological costs of vulgar sociology were overcome. In 1934, A. A. Fedorov-Davydov left the Gallery. He was followed by N.N. Kovalenskaya. In November 1936, the department prepared a layout of the re-exposition, which took into account the proposals made in 1935 by the Director of the Gallery P. M. Shchekotov.

After the war, in the second half of the 1940s, the processing of monuments from the collection of ancient Russian art, which numbered about 4,000 works, continued. This work began as early as the 1930s by compiling lists, cards, and primary descriptions.

In the 1950s–1960s, the scale of research and restoration work carried out in major museums and restoration centers in Moscow and Leningrad. In 1958, an album was published dedicated to the collection of ancient Russian paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery, compiled by A.N. Svirin. Then, after a long break, the Gallery resumes the practice of arranging exhibitions of ancient Russian painting.

The systematic expeditionary work of the Department of Old Russian Art began at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. The routes of the expeditions were not random, they were compiled in such a way as to cover previously unexplored areas and centers, the ancient art of which was insufficiently studied, or not represented at all in the Gallery's collection. These are the Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod regions, a number of districts of the Vladimir region, the northern possessions of the ancient principalities of North-Eastern Rus'. The result of the expeditions was the replenishment of the collection of the Old Russian department with such masterpieces as the icons "Nikola Mozhaisky" of the early 16th century from the village of Voinovo and "Simeon the Stylite" of the 16th century from Veliky Ustyug; characteristic works Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vyatka icon painters of the 18th century; bright, distinguished by rare iconography and original coloring, Old Believer icons of the 19th century from the Chernihiv and Bryansk regions; peasant icons, the so-called "red" and "black", the study of which was carried out by the oldest employee of the Gallery E.F.Kamenskaya (1902-1993).

The Gallery's collection of ancient Russian paintings has been replenished over the course of recent decades, including thanks to generous gifts. Among the gifts, the most significant was the gift of P.D. Korin, received by will in 1967. In 1966, V.I.Antonova published a detailed scientific description collections of P.D. Korin, and in 1971 the House-Museum of P.D. Korin received the status of a branch of the Gallery. In 1965, a number of remarkable works were received from the writer Yu.A. Arbat, among them the unique icon "The Savior on the Throne with the Coming Joachim and Anna" of the late 16th century from Shenkursk, Arkhangelsk Region. In 1970, after the death of the conductor Bolshoi Theater N.S. Golovanov, the Gallery received his collection of icons. The collection of icons collected by V.A. Aleksandrov and donated to the Gallery by his wife N.N. Sushkina was exhibited at a specially organized exhibition in March-April 1976.

According to the materials of the State Tretyakov Gallery and the site

The exhibition "Masterpieces of Byzantium" has opened in the Tretyakov Gallery. We tell you the main things you need to know in order to enjoy it - including great news about buying tickets.

WHAT WERE BRINGING: 18 works of art, including 12 icons.

Despite the rather small number of works (the exhibition occupied only one hall), the project fully justifies its name "Masterpieces of Byzantium". Almost every exhibit here is truly a masterpiece. Firstly, their antiquity is impressive - we can see objects here from the end of the 10th to the beginning of the 16th century. Secondly, they are all very beautiful and, as they say, excellent in their artistic level. Survivors of the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and the collapse Byzantine Empire, carefully preserved during the Ottoman rule over Greece and neighboring Orthodox lands - now they are not only objects of worship or paintings, but also evidence of the tragedies of history.

A typical example is the 14th-century Crucifixion icon (with Hodegetria on the back) - one of the finest examples of Byzantine art of the Palaiologos era. Graceful subtle writing, pleasing to the eye harmony of gold and azure - and at the same time the faces of the saints have been barbarously destroyed.

WHERE: The Athenian Byzantine and Christian Museum shared its exhibits with Moscow.

It, alas, is known only to connoisseurs, and tourists who come to Athens for ancient art often forget about it. However, it is one of the most interesting museums in the city. Founded in 1914, it was originally housed in a small villa once owned by socialite, the wife of a Napoleonic officer, the Duchess of Piacenza. By the end of the 20th century, the mansion, which stood in the middle of a luxurious park, clearly no longer contained all the huge collections of the Byzantine Museum. By the 2004 Olympics, the museum was opened after reconstruction - under the lawns and flower beds of the park, in the thickness of the earth, there were three underground floors, while the mansion remained untouched on the surface. The colossal underground space is filled with sacred art of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine period. And its visitors will probably not notice that some things have flown to Moscow.

However, the absence of the famous "St. George" of the XIII century in the permanent exhibition will clearly catch the eye of visitors to the Athens Museum. This unusual icon is made in relief technique. Orthodox artists usually did not do this, however, this work was created during crusades, under the influence of Western European masters. But the frame is familiar, canonical - from brands.

Another important exhibit of the exhibition, by the way, placed by the curators in the most spectacular place in the hall, is a large-scale icon of Our Lady of Kardiotissa. This epithet is translated from Greek as "Heart" and is a variant of the iconography of "Glykophilus" ("Sweet kiss"). When you look at the masterpiece, you understand that this canon of the image received such tender nicknames not in vain: the Baby so affectionately pulls his hands to the Mother, so sweetly presses his cheek against her that you almost forget that in front of us is an object of worship, and not a sketch from life . The name of the icon painter has also been preserved (this is not very common for Rus', but the Greek masters often signed their works). Angelos Akotantos lived and worked in Crete, which at that time was under the rule of the Venetian Republic. He is considered one of the most important Greek painters of the 15th century.

Probably, from the Constantinople workshops of the late 14th-early 15th century comes an icon that will be of interest to all owners of the popular name “Marina” in Russia. The fact is that St. Marina of Antioch is rarely depicted in traditional Orthodox art. The late Paleolog icon, in which the saint appears in a bright red maphoria and with a crucifix (a symbol of martyrdom) in her hand, comes from the church of St. Gerasimos in Argostolion on the island of Kefalonia and is one of the oldest surviving images of the great martyr.

OTHER MEETINGS: in addition to this museum, Greek private collectors took part in the exhibition in Moscow. You understand, to see things from such collections is a unique chance.

From the collection of E. Velimesis - H. Margaritis comes a small but very exquisite icon "John the Baptist Angel of the Desert" of the 16th century. This plot is also familiar to Russian icon painting - John the Baptist is depicted with wings, his own severed head lies on a dish at his feet, and on the other side an ax is stuck between the trees. However, the subtlety and harmony of writing will suggest that this beauty comes from those lands where the icon-painting tradition, founded in Byzantine icon-painting workshops, has not disappeared for centuries.

From the Benaki Museum in Athens, founded in 1930 by the millionaire Emmanuel Benakis, the oldest piece of the exhibition arrived - a silver processional cross created at the end of the 10th century. Fine engravings of figures of Christ and saints can be seen on this double-sided piece of jewelry. In addition to John Chrysostom, Basil the Great and other popular saints, a rare saint, Sisinius, is depicted on the cross. From the inscription on the hilt it is known that he was the patron saint of the customer of this cross.

PLACE: the exhibition is located in the main building of the Tretyakov Gallery in hall number 38 (usually Malyavin and the Union of Russian Artists). The curators of the exhibition especially emphasize that in the neighboring halls there is a permanent exposition of ancient Russian art. And, having enjoyed the Athens exhibition, it is worth taking two steps and seeing what they were doing at the same time in the northern corner of the Orthodox lands.

TICKETS: no need to buy in advance. The exhibition takes place in the hall, located among the permanent exhibition, and to get to it, you just need to buy a regular entrance ticket to the museum. Good news for those who are tired of besieging the site with online ticket sales for an exhibition of masterpieces from the Vatican in the nearby Engineering Building (which was recently extended until March 1).