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The Russian builder Vasilii Dmitrievich
Yermolin (Ermolin) carved in stone the figure of Saint George around the middle
of the 15th century. This earned him the reputation of being the first known
Russian sculptor. The effigy was placed above the main entrance to the Kremlin,
the Spasskaya Tower, to symbolically protect the "Heart" of Russia
and serve as a reminder of her invincibility. It stayed there until the
revolution, when it was taken down together with many others throughout the
country. One exception is the Saint George who still decorates the main facade
of the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow. Fine examples of wooden sculpture from the
same period as Yermolin and similar to his are two Saint Georges, one in
Yuriev-Polskii and another in Rostov, in which the Saint is shown as a young
Russian lad. The figure of Saint George that is now in the Russian State Museum
in Saint Petersburg is more convincing. There are several other sculptures of
saints dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries. The most popular subjects
for this kind of art were Saint George, Archangel Michael, Saint Nikita the
Martyr, Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk, Saint Paraskeva Piatnitsa and occasionally
Saint John the Baptist. Saint Paraskeva Piatnitsa was venerated because she was
believed to reward wives who prayed to her, with fertility. In this capacity
she replaced the pagan Goddess Lada (Mokosh) whom the ancient Slavs worshiped
as protectress of lovers and newlyweds. Her oldest known sculpture dates from
the 15th century, and is presently in the Museum of the town of Galich. A
beautiful work of religious sculpture is the tomb of Saint Zosima, the founder
of the Solovetskii Monastery, presently in the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow,
whose forms were obviously inspired by the West. Here we see the same eagerness
of prominent Russians to commemorate their names with lavish tombs like the
popes and the princes in the West.
Looking at Russian sculpture, it becomes quite clear that the masters always
had an icon in front of their eyes while carving their creations. This is why
most of their sculptures lack deep profiles and, like icons, are best observed
from the front. Almost all Russian religious sculptures were painted, using the
same disposition of colors and often imitating the style of contemporary
iconography, including the fine curly lines painted with gold.
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