Photo credit: pravoslavie.ru
Four halls will be allocated in the Uffizi Gallery for an exhibition of Russian icons that was collected for two centuries (in the 18th and 19th centuries) by members of the Medici family. The exposition, which will become permanent and will be marked on the gallery route, includes 78 Russian icons, RIA Novosti reports.
Icons from the collection of the gallery will be included in the permanent exhibition for the first time, they will displayed in the Palazzo Pitti, located in the center of Florence. Four halls with Russian icons surrounded by 17th-century frescoes will be opened until the end of December. According to Uffizi Director Eike Schmidt, for the first time in history, the collection of Russian gallery icons will appear “in all its splendor and fullness”, and guests from all over the world will be able to see it.
The history of Russian icons entering Italy is replete with blank pages. According to historical documents, in the middle of the XVIII century the assembly was already located in Florence. Experts suggest that the icons were donated to the Duke of Tuscany, Francesco II, by the ambassador or the local Orthodox community, who wished to thank the duke for permission to build an Orthodox church.
The origin of the icons and the names of the authors are unknown, but experts say that some of the images are similar in style to the icon painters of the Armory. It is possible that some of the icons in the Uffizi collection were painted by Kirill Ulanov, an outstanding Moscow artist of the late XVII - early XVIII centuries.
Russkiy Mir
