Orthodox-art exhibition to open in Moscow Tretyakov Gallery

An exhibition of Orthodox Christian culture monuments from Cherepovets, northern Russia, is to open at the local Tretyakov art gallery here today. This exhibition is entitled "Ancient Images: Orthodox Christian Culture Monuments From The Collection Of The Cherepovets Art Museum".

That museum's staffers will display 70 of their best exhibits, i.e. 14-th century - 18-th century icons, 17-th century embroidery, as well as 16-th century - 18-th century wooden sculptures.

The list of rare exhibits, which were brought to Moscow from Cherepovets, includes the icon of St. Nicholas, which was painted in the late 14-th century, as well as unique 17-th century embroidery from work-shops, which had belonged to Moscow tsarinas and their daughters.

An 18-th century wooden European Barocco polychrome composition "Taking Christ Off The Cross" was restored especially for this exhibition. Incidentally, this masterpiece has never been shown in public before.

The Cherepovets art museum, which ranks among the first northern Russian art museums, was established in 1870.

This museum has never unveiled so many ancient Russian masterpieces before, Tretyakov-gallery officials stressed. Nonetheless, some "ancient images" from the Cherepovets collection were displayed in Russia and elsewhere more than once.

Among other things, they were shown in Moscow, Leningrad (now called St. Petersburg), the Vatican, Paris, Tokyo and Florence over the last 15 years. Nonetheless, scientists and art experts have never seen many current exhibits before.

This is the 21-st Tretyakov-gallery exhibition in line with the "Russia's Golden Map" project being implemented since 1998 together with Russian art museums.