The exposition is a rich collection of gilded carvings of the 17th century, including royal gates, icons in luxurious frames, fragments of iconostases — works that not only amaze with their beauty and technique of execution, but also tell about the complex history of the resettlement of artisans, their influence on the development of Russian art and architecture. Many exhibits are presented for the first time to the public — the result of many years of work by specialists in preserving Russia’s heritage.

Welcoming the guests at the opening of the exhibition, Dmitry Yashchenko, Director of the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Nesvizh» emphasized the importance of this project for the development of cultural space not only in the city, but also in the country as a whole. He thanked his colleagues from the Museum-Reserve «Kolomenskoye» for cooperation and the opportunity to present to the public these unique artifacts, telling about the skill and talent of Belarusian carvers, demonstrating how the culture of the two Slavic peoples intertwined in time through the skill of talented artists-craftsmen. Dmitry Leonidovich expressed confidence that this exhibition project would become a significant event for art and history connoisseurs.

— It was very important for us to show the origins of joint creativity and the work of the masters of the two great Slavic peoples. This exhibition is also very important with regard to the general cultural cooperation between the Russian Museum, one of the leading museum institutions, and the Museum-Reserve «Nesvizh». After all, both museums are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is very important that we together bring the highest cultural value of the world level to our viewers, — said the author of the concept and curator of the exhibition, deputy director for the storage of museum funds of the Museum-Reserve «Kolomenskoye», Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Polyakova.

Gilded sculptural carving appeared in Russia in the second half of the 17th century, which is connected with the mass resettlement of Belarusian masters from Vilna, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Shklov and other cities. This process was caused by the Russian-Polish war of 1654-1667, which led to the relocation of craftsmen to the Russian lands. Documents testify to the repeated dispatches of servants from Moscow to Belarus to bring «various craftsmen», among whom were carpenters, turners and woodcarvers. Many of them participated in the construction of monasteries and temples in Russia, such as the Iversky Monastery on Lake Valday and the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery.

Belarusian masters worked at the tsar’s court: among them were Vitebsk carvers Filipp Tarasov, Kirill Tolkachev, Samoilo Bogdanov, Danilo Kokotka, Ivan Drakula; as well as Andrei Fyodorov from Orsha and Fyodor Mikulaev from Dubrovno. In 1667, by decree of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, the best of them were transferred to the Armoury of the Moscow Kremlin, where they received the status of state masters. There they taught Russian students carving techniques and used new tools — jack plane, gimp thread, scraper plane — which allowed them to create three-dimensional sculptural forms of high skill.

Belarusian craftsmen introduced new motifs of Baroque carving into Russian art: flexible vines with bunches of grapes, bunches of fruit (pomegranates, apples, pears, lemons), pearl-like curls, high-relief acanthus leaves and naturalistic flowers. Stylized Chinese roses (hibiscus) dominated among the flowers, and of the fruits, symbolic representations of pomegranates (Passion of Christ), apples (fall), and figs (fig tree). The vine symbolized Christ as the source of life and was associated with the sacrament of communion.

These motifs drew inspiration from both European engravings of the Bible and German ornaments («Frjazhsky» sheets), as well as traditional Christian symbols. The new style was called Flemish (from the German die Flame — Flemish), indicating the influence of the art of Flanders. This artistic language was reflected in the lavish iconostases of Moscow churches — works of Belarusian carvers and their Russian pupils.

The participation of Belarusian craftsmen in the construction of the Kolomna Palace of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich, a masterpiece of Russian national architecture of the 17th century, occupies a special place. This wooden palace became a symbol of the greatness of the Russian state. The work on its decoration was carried out by craftsmen from Belarus under the guidance of the elder Arseny from the Orsha Kutein Monastery. Within a year they created a rich carved decoration of walls, ceilings and facades with the use of gilding, paintings and bright coloring — the construction was called «the eighth wonder of the world».

Tiles of the 17th century also occupy an important place in the exhibition. They decorated the facades of churches and civil buildings in Moscow: they made up whole friezes or panels inside interiors to cover stoves. Belarusian masters possessed the secrets of making bright multicolored enamels for ceramics: their formulations made it possible to create monumental products for large-scale architectural projects. Thanks to their efforts, the Moscow school of tile art reached a high level of development: their own technological methods and production school appeared.

The exhibition «The Gold of Iconostases» is not only an opportunity to see the splendor of carved works of the 17th century, but also a chance to understand the historical processes of resettlement of artisans, their contribution to the formation of national art schools and architectural monuments of Russia.

The exhibition will run until October 1, 2025 in the Great Exhibition Hall of the Palace Ensemble (Niasvizh, Zamkovaya Street, 2).

Photo provided by the National Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve «Nesvizh»