The art of jewellery in Kievan Russia

Abstract

Uniting many Slavic tribes, Kievan Russia reached its apogee between the tenth and the twelfth centuries, a period of great creativity in architecture, craftwork and literature. This flowering of national culture was in large part due to the adoption of Christianity under Prince Vladimir in 988–89, which formed the ideological basis for the change to a new social system, and brought the country into closer contact with East and West alike, but above all with Byzantium. The latter was then a leading cultural influence, the guardian of the artistic heritage of ancient Greece and Rome. Few if any medieval countries were open to such a wealth of cultural influences as Old Russia, whose artistic genius transformed the borrowed elements, making them an authentic part of its indigenous culture. The explanation for this undeniable fact lies in the country's own deep-rooted and vigorous traditions. Jewellery-making was among ancient Kiev's finest arts. An incomparable collection of medieval ornaments is held by the Ukrainian Museum of Historical Treasures in Kiev. Built up through archaeological research, the collection has been studied by generations of scholars, such as Elena Starchenko. In the pages below this scholar-museologist explores the inspiration, the technical intricacies and the social significance of this sophisticated art.