Foil icons of the 19^th century. Tver and Vologda traditions

The authors describe foil icons, which were created in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century. It was the period when large and small craft centers for creating kiot icon appeared in Russia and began to develop dynamically. The craftsmen worked in monasteries, towns and villages. Cheaper artifacts were widely sold, while expensive and high–quality ones were made for wealthier buyers, most often from the merchant class and urban commoners. The largest production center was the Vyaznikovsky district of the Vladimir province (the villages of Palekh, Mstera and Kholui). The second famous center was Borisov Settlement (Borisovskaya Sloboda) – foil icons were created in Bogoroditse-Tikhvin monastery and in Borisovka settlement of the Belgorod region. Borisov icons were distinguished by their high quality, specific paintings, and intricate work with foil, paper, velvet, and other materials. However, there were other large craft-centers in the Russia, centers that have not yet attracted the attention of researchers. As the authors show, most interesting in artistic and craft terms were the icons created in the Tver and Vologda provinces. Local craftsmen set their own distinctive styles, which were closely linked to the traditions of Russian art and icon painting of the 16th–18th centuries. The icons of the Tver and Vologda masters were kindred in terms of materials, as well as artistic and technological solutions. The study of those undescribed traditions is an important task.

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