ПРОКОПИЙ ЧИРИН И СИЙСКИЙ ПОДЛИННИК

Abstract

The article contains an analysis of nine images (prorisi), signed with the name of the painter Prokopy Chirin, from the book of icon patterns (late 17th century, RNB. OLDP. F88), which was created as a handbook for Russian iconpainters. Three of them comprise a small half-length Deisis; to this group belongs also the fourth drawing (fol. 185), which is a mirror image of the Mother of God (on fol. 198). The following three imprints, forming a group, show a full-length Deisis with the Holy Trinity in Majesty in the centre. The last two, the “Mother of God of Tikhvin” and the “Mother of God with a Child on the throne and the saints” are independent. All four images (two icons of the Deisis and two of the Virgin), to which the prorisi go back, fit into the so-called “Stroganov” artistic tradition and evidently reproduce the icons of Prokopy Chirin. Moreover, the book contains at least three more images related to his work: “Tsarevich Demetrius and Demetrius of Thessaloniki”, “Tsarevich Demetrius and Roman of Uglich” and “Saint Nicetas”. The icons that served as prototypes for these drawings have survived to the present day, and are stored respectively in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and the Smolensk State Museum (reserve.).