RETURNED MASTERPIECE

Moscow State United Museum-Reserve

of history, architecture, nature and landscape

“Kolomenskoe-Izmaylovo-Lefortovo-Lyublino”

 

The icon “Parable on the Origin of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God” is unique by the iconography and art advantages. Its plot illustrates the real historical event - transferring of the wonder-working Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, protector of the Russian state, from Vladimir to Moscow. It has occurred on July 23rd, 1480, in connection with threat of invasion of armies of the khan Akhmat (khan of the Great Horde).


 

The complex multifigured composition represents the solemn procession accompanying the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, transferred to the Uspensky cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. On the left – pedestrian and horse army headed by two horsemen in rich clothes - the Great Moscow Prince Ivan The 3rd with his son Prince Ivan (Ivan The Young). They are also represented   in the centre of procession of the Icon, in which clergy, The Great Princes, the people are also presented. Very precisely, in details, are written out a mica lantern and banners, portable crosses, pearl canvas on clothes and tiny images on religious procession icons. At the same time the architecture is represented with big share of convention, especially city topography. All buildings are turned away from the two-dimensional surface as though standing in parallel to the moving procession. The Uspensky cathedral is allocated among the constructions of the Kremlin, it’s the semantic centre of a composition. To the left of it one can tell The Great Ivan’s bell tower, the Filaretovsky belfry and the Spassky tower topped with a two-headed eagle.    

The Icon is distinguished by an elaborate manner of painting and a gilt background. Its format is unusual: it is written on a horizontal board in the size of 71x30 cm. The Icon arrived in collection of Moscow State United Museum - Reserve in the beginning of 30th. Simultaneously, three more icons of the beginning of XIX century were transferred in the Museum. All of them - “Candlemas of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God”; “Anania writes an image of the Christ”; “The Christ hands over  a not-made-by-hands image to Anania” - make the uniform complex connected by a theme of honouring of wonder-working images of the Christ and the Vladimir Mother of God in Moscow.

The Icon “Parable of the Origin of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God” was stolen in 1994, on exhibition in 1825 Pavilion (Kolomenskoye). The information about the incident was immediately reported on to the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation; the search undertaken by the law-enforcement appeared unsuccessful. All information about icon’s loss was directed to the Interpol.

Just before the abduction, the Icon was investigated by experts. In 2006 the data about it were published in the scientific work of the Chief Keeper of the Museum O. A. Polyakova “Architecture of Russia in its icon” (in Russian and in English). In the edition it was also informed, that the icon was stolen from the Museum. Subsequently the fact of the publication of this historical heritage object with its reproduction served one of the legal substantiations of the proof that the given icon belongs to the collection of the Museum. On May, 27th, 2008 the Icon “Parable of the Origin of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God” was found in London, where it was exposed on sale and its image was published in the catalogue of the auction house of Christie. The auctions should have taken place on June, 9th, 2008.

Experts of the Museum identified the image published in the catalogue as the historical heritage object stolen in 1994. The situation was immediately reported on to the Federal Agency for Protection of Cultural Heritage (Rosokhrankultura). The management and legal service of Rosokhrankultura took all measures so that the historical heritage object be removed from sale. They have made an enormous contribution to returning the stolen icon to Russia.