Study on the Genesis of the Moscow Medieval Ceramic Tiles

The studies on Russian ceramic tiles (izrazets) from the very beginning of the XIX century were among other focused on the origin of this applied art form, which was often considered as a part of European art history. The genesis of the Russian medieval ceramic tile consists of few remarkable episodes, one of which is spreading of the terracotta relief tiles at the turn of XVI century. The old Russian monuments decorated with the terracotta were strongly influenced by the Italian architectural tradition. The other case is the development of enameled ceramics in medieval Russia. Enameled ceramic tiles in Muscovy (re)emerged as an architectural decoration in the middle of XVI century after the relatively long oblivion from the era of Kievan Rus. The enameled tiles on the St. Basil's Cathedral tabernacle (1561) and the ceramic icons of the Staritsa Cathedral (1558-1561) show the important impulses gained by Russian culture in that period. The latest archaeological excavations at the Moscow Kremlin made it possible to assume that in 1550s - 1560s there was a court ceramic workshop that produced enameled tiles. The important part of the Russian ceramic tiles genesis was the tiled stoves development. The end of the XVI century is signified with the so-called "red" Moscow ceramic tiles. It seems that during the XVI century Russian artisans were trying to implement ceramic tiles, that they were able to make, to the buildings' interiors (floors, early stove forms, perhaps wall coatings) as well as exteriors to show the owner's status. The genesis of the Moscow tile has a large, more than a century, stretching from the end of the XV century. There was a time when the tiles were brought to Moscow and to Russia from the western and south-western areas occasionally, although it is still unclear in what ways. Most likely, it was not the import of completed products, but rather a migration of skilled artisans equipped with technology, tools, and possibly printing forms for ceramic tiles. These cases were short, unrelated to each other and did not developed further, but they introduced decorative ceramics as a status item. As a result Russian ceramic tile was gradually transformed into a stable element of the national culture. A prerequisite for this was the organizational and technological readiness of Moscow potters to meet emerging demand among the court and the clergymen to adopt the "cultural code" of European cities.

Keywords

Authors

References