When did Kievan Rus adopt the faith from the Eastern Roman Empire?
Kievan Rus adopted the faith from the Eastern Roman Empire in AD 988. This moment marked the beginning of Russian iconography.
Questions about Russian icons
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the meaning of the word pisat in the Russian language regarding icons?
Russians speak of an icon as having been written rather than painted because the word pisat means both to paint and to write in the Russian language. Icons are considered the Gospel in paint for believers.
Who was Andrei Rublev and when did he live?
Andrei Rublev lived between 1360 and the early 15th century. He stands as the preeminent Russian icon painter of history.
How were most Russian icons constructed before 1890?
Most Russian icons are painted using egg tempera on wooden panels with cross members dovetailed into board backs to prevent warping over time. Panels utilizing back slats usually date older than 1880 or 1890.
Why did Palekh village icon painters transfer their techniques to lacquerware?
Former village icon painters in Palekh transferred their techniques to lacquerware after many Russian icons were destroyed by agents of the Soviet government. This transition gave rise to Russian lacquette art in the mid-1920s.