.png)
.png)
Email this article 
On the Question of classical Themes in the Art of pre-Mongol Russia
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2021-1-152-183
Abstract
A narrow range of Byzantine texts, primarily chronographic ones, containing classical themes and images, were translated in Russia starting from the 11th century.These texts became the literary basis of secular and ecclesiastic art. Several iconographic motifs from mythological stories and the “Ascension of Alexander the Great” entered the art of pre-Mongol Russian. Byzantium was the main source of the antique elements in Old Russian culture. Some motifs were also adopted in Old Russia from Romanesque art, through close contact with Western Europe. The tradition of using ancient subjects for the decoration of churches in relief, which was widespread both in Byzantine and in Romanesque art, was continued in Russian monuments. Сlassical subjects on the walls of churches served as apotropaic images, but their symbolism could also include other aspects. Antique motifs are encountered even in the frescoes of monastery churches which followed a strict, ascetic iconographic programme in spite of the general orientation of Old Russian art towards the monastic culture of Byzantium. The author deals with the problem of specific samples. It is unlikely that objects of applied art could have served as models for church sculpture.
Keywords
About the Author
O. E. EtinhofRussian Federation
Olga E. Etinhof, Dr. of Sci. (Art Studies)
bld. 6, Miusskaya Square, Moscow, 125993;
bld. 21, Prechistenka Street, Moscow, 119034
References
1. Acheimastou-Potamianou, M. (1998), Icons of the Byzantine Museum of Athens, Ministry of Culture Archaeological Receipts Fund, Athens, Greece.
2. Arkhipova, E.I. (2007), “Architectural decor and monumental plastics of Kievan Rus. End of X – first quarter of the XII century”, Istoriya russkogo iskusstva, Tom 1. Iskusstvo Kiyevskoi Rusi IX – pervoi chetverti XII veka [History of Russian art, vol. 1, Art of Kievan Rus IX – first quarter of the XII century], Severnyi palomnik, Moscow, Russia, рр. 600–608.
3. Beckwith, J. (1962), The Veroli Casket, H.M. Stationery Office, London, UK.
4. Bank, А.А. (1940), “Bulla depicting the flight of Alexander the Great into the sky”, Trudy otdela Vostoka Gosudarstvennogo Ermitazha [Proceedings of the East Department of the State Hermitage], vol. 3, Leningrad, USSR, pp. 181–194.
5. Bulanin, D.M. (1991), Antichnyye traditsii v drevnerusskoy literature XI–XVI vv. [Ancient traditions in Old Russian literature of the XI–XVI centuries], Sagner, München, Germany (Slavistische beitrage / Begründet von Alois Schmaus Herausgegeben von Heinrich Kunstmann u. a. Red. Peter Rehder; B. 278).
6. Bulanin, D. (1995), “The Life of Paul of Thebes – Bulgarian translation of the 10th century”, Kirilo-Metodievski studii, vol. 10, Sofia, Bulgaria, pp. 15–20.
7. Chernetsov, A.V. (1975а), “Old Russian images of centaurs”, Sovetskaya arkheologiya, iss. 2, pp. 100–119.
8. Chernetsov, A.V. (1975b), “To the study of the symbolism of the Novgorod gates of 1336”, Kratkie soobshcheniya Instituta arkheologii, no 144, pp. 40–46.
9. Darkevich, V.P. (1962), “The exploits of Hercules in the decoration of St. Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir”, Sovetskaya arkheologiya, iss. 4, Izdatel’stvo AN SSR, Moscow, Russia, pp. 90–104.
10. Darkevich, V.P. (1975), Svetskoe iskusstvo Vizantii: Proizvedeniya vizantiiskogo khudozhestvennogo remesla v Vostochnoi Evrope X–XIII vekov [The Secular Art of Byzantium: Works of Byzantine Artistic Crafts in Eastern Europe in the X–XIII Centuries], Iskusstvo, Moscow, Russia.
11. Evseeva, L.M. (1998), Afonskaya kniga obraztsov. XV v. [Athonite Book of Models. XV century], Indrik, Moscow, Russia.
12. Etinhof, О.Е. (1996), “Ancient traditions in the Old Russian artistic culture of the X–XV centuries”, Antichnoe nasledie v kul’ture Rossii [Ancient heritage in the culture of Russia], G.S. Knabe (ed.), Moscow, Russia, pp. 52–96.
13. Etinhof, О.Е. and Turilov, A.A. (2000), “Alexander the Great. Iconography. Hellenistic plots. Illustrations for ‘The Novel about Alexander’”, Pravoslavnaya entsiklopediya [Orthodox encyclopedia], t. 1. Moscow, Russia, pp. 516–520.
14. Etinhof, О.Е. (2018а), “Relief decoration of church facades of the Byzantine world”, Iskusstvo Evrazii, no 2 (9), pp. 199–211, available at: https://readymag.com/u50070366/1070646/32/ (Accessed 20 January 2021).
15. Etinhof, О.Е. (2018b), “On the use of ancient sculpture in the Middle Ages in the East and West”, ‘Na ioniiskii lad ya poyu…’: Sbornik statei v chest’ N.M. Nikulinoi. Trudy istoricheskogo fakul’teta MGU [“I sing in the Ionian way ...”. Collection of articles in honor of N.M. Nikulina. Proceedings of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University], 139, Seriya II, Istoricheskie issledovaniya 82 [series II. Historical research 82], KDU; Universitetskaya kniga Moscow, Russia, pp. 197–215.
16. Γαλάβαρης, Γ. (1995), Ελληνική Τέχνη. Ζωγραφική Βυζαντινών Χειρογράφων. Εκδοτική Αθηνών.
17. Gladkaya, M.S. (2006), “Ascension of Alexander the Great: composition of the southeastern tympanum of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir”, Georgii Karlovich Vagner – uchenyi, khudozhnik, chelovek [Georgy Karlovich Wagner – scientist, artist, person], IMLI RAN, Moscow, Russia, pp. 325–340.
18. Gladkaya, M.S. (2009), ’Rel’efy Dmitrievskogo sobora vo Vladimire: opyt kompleksnogo issledovaniya [Reliefs of Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir: experience of complex research], Indrik, Moscow, Russia.
19. Gladkaya, M.S. (2018), Katalog belokamennoi rez’by Dmitrievskogo sobora vo Vladimire: Baraban. Rez’ba chetverika (registr pryasel nad arkaturoi) [Catalog of White Stone Carvings of Saint Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir: Tambour. Carving of Chetverik (Register of Curtain Walls over the Arcature), Vladimirskaya oblastnaya universal’naya nauchnaya biblioteka, Vladimir, Russia.
20. Grabar, A.N. (1962), “Secular fine arts of pre-Mongol Russia and ‘The Tale of Igor’s Campaign’ ”], Trudy Otdela drevnerusskoi literatury [Proceedings of the Department of Ancient Russian Literature], iss. 18, Izdatel’stvo AN SSSR, Moscow, Leningrad, pp. 233–271.
21. Grabar, A. (1968), “Images de l’Ascension d’Alexandre en Italie et en Russie” Collège de France, Paris, France, vol. 1, pp. 295–296.
22. Hutter, I. (1999), “The Magdalen College ‘Musterbuch’: A Painter’s Guide from Cyprus at Oxford”, Medieval Cyprus: Studies in Art, Architecture, and History in Memory of Doula Mouriki, Patterson Ševčenko N., Moss Ch. (eds.), Department of Art and Archaeology, Program in Hellenic Studies, Princeton University, United States, pp. 117–129.
23. Ioannisyan, O.M. (2003), “Lombard architects in Russia: ‘Russian Romanic’ of the XII century”, Pinakoteka, no. 1–2 (16–17), pp. 10–19.
24. Ioannisyan, O.M. (2005), “Romanesque origins of the architecture of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus during the time of Andrei Bogolyubsky (Germany or Italy?)”, Vizantiyskii mir: iskusstvo Konstantinopolya i natsional’nye traditsii. K 2000-letiyu khristianstva [The Byzantine World: The Art of Constantinople and National Traditions. To the 2000th anniversary of Christianity], Severnyi palomnik, Moscow, Russia, pp. 31–69.
25. Lazarev, V.N. (1970), “Old Russian artists and methods of their work”, Lazarev V.N. Russkaya srednevekovaya zhivopis’. Stat’i i issledovaniya [Russian medieval painting. Articles and research], Nauka, Moscow, Russia. pp. 13–26.
26. Lazarev, V.N. (1973), Drevnerusskie mozaiki i freski [Old Russian mosaics and frescoes], Iskusstvo, Moscow, Russia.
27. Lechitskaya, О. (2010), Koptskie tkani. Gosudarstvennyi muzei izobrazitel’nykh iskusstv im. A.S. Pushkina [Coptic textiles. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts], Novosti, Moscow, Russia.
28. Lur’e, Ia.S. (1988), “Apokryphs about Solomon”, Slovar’ knizhnikov i knizhnosti Drevnei Rusi [Dictionary of scribes and books of Old Russia], Nauka, Leningrad, Russia, vol. 2, part 1, pp. 66–68.
29. Марковић, М. (2000), “Illustrations of pateric narratives in the narthex of the Hilandar Catholicon”, Osam vekova Khilandara. Istorija, dukhovni zhivot, kњizhevnost, umetnost i arkhitektura. Meђunarodni nauchni skup. Oktobar 1998. Belgrade, Yugoslavia, pp. 505–537.
30. Marshak, B.I. (2006), “Silver for furs”, pp. 72–82.
31. Mil’kov, V.V. and Polyansky, S.M. (eds.) (2008), Kosmologicheskie proizvedeniya v knizhnosti Drevnei Rusi [Cosmological works in the bookishness of Old Russia], in 2 parts, Chast’ 1. Teksty geotsentricheskoi traditsii [Part 1. The texts of the geocentric tradition], Saint Petersburg, Russia.
32. Novakovskaya-Bukhman, S.M. (2002), “King David in the reliefs of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir”, Drevnerusskoe iskusstvo: Vizantiya, Rus’, Zapadnaya Evropa: iskusstvo i kul’tura [Old Russian art: Byzantium, Russia, Western Europe: art and culture], Dmitrii Bulanin, Saint Petersburg, Russia, pp. 172–186.
33. Putsko, B.G. (1988), “Slate relief from the church of St. Irina in Kiev”, Drevnerusskoe iskusstvo. Khudozhestvennaya kul’tura X – pervoi poloviny XIII v. [Old Russian art artistic culture X – first half of the XIII century], Nauka, Moscow, Russia, pp. 287–291.
34. Rybakov, B.A. (1987), Yazychestvo v Drevnei Rusi [Paganism in Old Russia], Nauka, Moscow, Russia.
35. Sarab’yanov, V.D. (2012), “Compartments on the 2nd floor in Old Russian churches, their liturgical function and iconography”, Iskusstvo Drevnei Rusi i stran vizantiyskogo mira: Vyp. II: Materialy II nauchnoi konferentsii, posvyashchennoi 75-letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya V.A. Bulkina, 3–4 dekabrya 2012 goda [The Art of Old Russia and the Countries of the Byzantine World], vol. II: [Proceedings of the II scientific conference dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of V.A. Bulkin], December 3–4, Ritm, Saint Petersburg, Russia, pp. 29–33.
36. Sarab’yanov, V.D. (2013), “The world of bookishness in the frescoes of the Savior Church of the Euphrosyne Monastery. On the question of the educational activities of the reverend Euphrosyne of Polotsk”, Istoriya i arkheologiya Polotska i Polotskoi zemli: Materialy VI mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii (1–3 noyabrya 2012 g.). Chast’ II: Spaso-Preobrazhenskaya tserkov’ v Polotske: Istoriya. Arkhitektura. Zhivopis’ [History and archeology of Polotsk and the Polotsk land: Proceedings of the VI International Scientific Conference (November 1–3, 2012), part II: Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Polotsk: History. Architecture. Painting], Polotskoe knizhnoe izdatel’stvo, Polotsk, Belarus, pp. 79–103.
37. Svirin, A.N. (1966), “To the question of the links between the artistic culture of Old Russsia and the ancient world”, Trudy Otdela drevnerusskoi literatury [Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature], vol. 22, Nauka, Moscow, Leningrad, Russia, pp. 450–462.
38. Sedov, V.V. (2008), “Burial 7 in the Martyrievskaya porch of St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod and gold embroidery depicting the ascension of Alexander the Great”, Moskovskaya Rus’: problemy arkheologii i istorii arkhitektury: k 60-letiyu L.A. Belyaeva. [Moscow Rus: problems of archeology and history of architecture: to the 60th anniversary of L.A. Belyaev], Moscow, Russia, pp. 64–89.
39. Settis Frugoni, C. (1973), Historia Alexandri elevati per griphos ad aerem: Origine, iconografia e fortuna di un tema, Istituto storico italiano per il Medio Evo, Roma, Italy.
40. Slapinya, A.A. (2020), “Decorated 12th Century Horn Plates from the Archaeological Layer of Pskov and the Theme of the Centaur’s Struggle with the Beast in Ancient Russian Art”, Vestnik sektora drevnerusskogo iskusstva, no. 1, pp. 12–24.
41. Speransky, M.N. (1960), “On the history of the ‘Physiologist’ in the old Bulgarian writing”, Speransky M.N. Iz istorii russko-slavyanskikh literaturnykh svyazei [From the history of Russian-Slavic literary ties], Moscow, Russia, pp. 148–159.
42. Tvorogov, O.V. (1977), “Ancient myths in Old Russian literature of the 11th – 16th centuries”, Trudy Otdela drevnerusskoi literatury [Proceedings of the Department of Old Russian Literature], iss. 23, Nauka, Leningrad, Russia, pp. 1–31.
43. Uspensky, B.A. (1983), Yаzykovaya situatsiya Kievskoi Rusi i ee znachenie dlya istorii russkogo literaturnogo yazyka [The linguistic situation of Kievan Rus and its significance for the history of the Russian literary language], Izdatel’stvo MGU, Moscow, Russia.
44. Vagner, G.K. (1964), Skul’ptura Vladimiro-Suzdal’skoi Rusi: g. Yur’ev-Pol’skoi [Sculpture of Vladimir-Suzdal Russia: Yuryev-Polsky], Nauka, Moscow, Russia.
45. Vagner, G.K. (1969), Skul’ptura Drevnei Rusi; XII vek. Vladimir. Bogolyubovo [Sculpture of Old Russia; XII century. Vladimir. Bogolyubovo], Iskusstvo, Moscow, Russia.
Supplementary files
For citation: Etinhof O.E. On the Question of classical Themes in the Art of pre-Mongol Russia. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2021;(1-2):152-183. https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2021-1-152-183
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
