ADAM'S THE LIBRARY COLLECTION 29th April 2025

48 Russian icons, central to Orthodox worship, developed after the Christianisation of Rus’ in 988, drawing on Byzantine models. The earliest surviving works include 11th-century mosaics and frescoes in St. Sophia Cathedral, Kiev. By the 12th century, regional schools in Novgorod and Vladimir produced panel icons alongside monu- mental painting. The Mongol invasion (1237–1480) disrupted production, but revival followed in the late 14th century with Theophanes the Greek (c.1340–c.1410), whose dynamic style is seen in his 1378 frescoes in Novgorod. The Moscow school dominated the 15th cen- tury under Andrei Rublev (c.1360–1430), creator of the Trinity (c.1410–25, Tretyakov Gallery), and later Dionisius (c.1440–1502), whose refined manner is exemplified at Ferapontov Monastery. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Godunov and Stroganov workshops, supported by elite patrons, advanced intricate miniature styles. By the mid-1600s, Simon Ushakov (1626–1686), working at the Kremlin Armoury, introduced Western el- ements, marking the close of the medieval tradition under Peter the Great. The Tem- ple Gallery, London, founded in 1959 by Richard Temple—described by Byzantinist Kurt Weitzmann as “the foremost dealer in icons” — has supplied works to institutions including the British Museum, the Louvre, and the Menil Collection, and remains a leading authority in Byzantine and Russian icon art.