The history of Russian chest craft (19th – early 20th centuries). Collection of scientific articles
into account the stage-by-stage correspondence in the development of different cultures. According to sensible words by Tatyana Passek, the similarity does not mean anything until the «genetic history» of a particular ornamental scheme is traced, i.e. «Work cannot be carried out without a „paleontological“ analysis, without the use of a genetic approach to phenomena, as to natural stage-by-stage formulations of a single process of society development»43.
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Three points should be noted as a conclusion.
1. The presence of parallels in Russian and Scandinavian chest production is natural. This is a consequence of centuries-old cultural ties between Russia, on the one hand, and Sweden, Norway and Denmark, on the other. The production of chests is part of a deep and extensive cultural exchange that has existed between these countries since ancient times.
2. Despite of the obvious analogies, Russian and Scandinavian chests have their own artistic style, since they were created on different cultural grounds.
3. A comparative study of Russian and Scandinavian chest products is of particular relevance. Only one aspect needs to be pointed out. Just as researchers of wooden architecture suggest using ancient Scandinavian buildings to reconstruct the external appearance of Old Russia44, with regard to the production of chest and boxes, the same can be proposed.
Russian chests called «podgolovnik»: artistic style and cultural-historical context
Among Russian chest products, “podgolovniks” occupy a significant place, both in quality and quantity. Many of these items have been preserved in museum collections (they are presented in almost all the capital’s museums, and are often found in provincial ones, especially in the Russian North45). This fact makes it easier to study this type of chest products, especially since there is a need to its research.
As a rule, independent scientific work is not devoted to certain types of Russian chest products. Most often, chests are considered in general reviews of museum collections or in articles related to certain problems of Russian chest production46. Russian chests called «podgolovnik» were no exception: as an independent type of chest products, they received almost no attention.
The purpose of this paper is to identify the design and artistic features of chests-“podgolovniks”, to determine their place in the European history of chest production. The main tasks include: clarification of the role of external influences that took place in the process of the appearance of “podgolovnik” in Russia and the gradual formation of their artistic style, analysis of specific works. The research timeframe is XVI – XIX centuries.
While working on the article, information from special literature, both foreign and Russian, was used. Numerous items from domestic and foreign museums served as the research material.
It should be noted that only preliminary conclusions are currently possible on this topic. Further additions and adjustments are not excluded.
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By the definition of Pavel Savvaitov, «podgolovnik is a low chest or casket with an inclined lid, bound with iron, with an internal lock and with pulling out drawers for the jewels»47.
One of the earliest mentions of the word «podgolovnik» occurs in 1574 in the Book of the Volokolamsk monastery parish48. In the census of things by the archbishop of Kholmogory and Vazhsky Athanasius in 1702, a lot of chests are indicated, and among them «red leather podgolovnik is bound with carved tin-plated iron» in which money was kept49. The «podgolovnik» is mentioned among the purchases of Catherine I in 172250.
The «podgolovnik» is an object made of wood, most often oak. It is shaped like a box with a beveled lid. As a rule, the lid consists of two parts, which are connected by hinges: a narrow one, located parallel to the bottom, and a wide, inclined one. The proportions of the podgolovniks were not the same. They ranged from very exquisite pieces to massive large chests. From the inside, the chests were divided by wooden plates into several compartments (their number is not strictly defined), often boxes were hung on the inner walls, equipped with an additional system of locks51. There are metal handles on the side walls of the podgolovniks. Products were upholstered with iron strips, either openwork or solid. Mica or green (sometimes red or of both colours) cloth was placed under them. A shaped iron plate protected the key hole. It was often decorated with engraving. Among the slotted metal ornament, sometimes there are inscriptions indicating the year of creation of the thing and the master (or owner)52. On the inside of the lid or on the walls of the northern items, you can find a painting53. In the description of the property of the boyar Fyodor Shaklovity (XVII century) it is stated: «… Kolmogorsky podgolovnik, painted in gold, upholstered with white slotted iron…»54.
It should be noted that the decoration of the «podgolovnik» was different. In most cases, it depended on the customer. There are both richly decorated items, and very modest in an artistic sense.
The «podgolovnik» served to store documents, valuables, money, letters, and they were placed under the traveler’s head on the way (this is considered an explanation of the name of this type of chests). The member of the Swedish embassy Iohann Keelburger wrote: «Podgolovniks are not made to be written on, because they are upholstered with various tinned iron hoops; Russians, on the other hand, write both in colleges and elsewhere, never except on their knees; but such podgolovniks are made for travelers for winter period and are very convenient for laying under the head in a sleigh, because it is known that they tend to put almost a bed in Russian sleighs». However, this purpose of the podgolovniks was not the only one. There are cases when they were the subject of equipment for hunters and were taken on the hunt.
Podgolovniks were common in all strata of the population: they were found in peasant huts, in the houses of the townspeople, and in the chambers of the highest nobility, and in the royal mansions55. Such items have been made for a long time not only in the Russian North, but also in other regions of the country.
It is often stated that «podgolovnik» is a typical Russian product56. This is not entirely true. A similar form of chests existed in many European countries (although the purpose of the items was sometimes different). Let us consider Russian «podgolovnik» against the background of foreign works.
In the collection of the department of folk art of the Russian Museum there is a «podgolovnik»57, manufactured in 1750. It is of big size (34x55x42), the outer surfaces are upholstered with leather and smooth iron strips arranged as a grid. Inside each «cell» there are slotted rosettes with mica lining. In the corners of the lid and the top wall there are slotted strips in the form of triangles. On the face of the castle, in a zigzag frame, the inscription is engraved: «1750 September 23rd day of srk ivan chyupyatov». On the side walls there are curly handles. Inside «podgolovnik» there are twelve compartments, eight of which are with drawers. The «podgolovnik», which is probably of Kholmogory origin, is notable for its solidity and reliability. The symmetry of the ornament, its clarity, contribute to this impression. The main intention of the master was the direct purpose of the product as a repository of valuable items and documents. The general artistic solution of this chest is characterized by masculine roughness, severity, against the background