SHOWCASE 8. COVERS FROM THE SHRINES OF TSAREVICH DMITRY AND ST CYRIL OF BELOOZERO

Since 1986 the Armoury Chamber showcases two rare specimens of exquisite sculptural chasing of the first half of the 17th century. The covers of the shrines of Tsarevich Dmitry and St Cyril of Beloozero were made by the masters of the Silver Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin - Pavel Vlasiev, Timofey Ivanov, Vassily Korovnikov and Vassily Malosoltsev under Gavrila Ovdokimov. But in 1812 the Napoleonic army stole the shrine of Tsarevich Dmitry. The cover from the shrine of St Cyril of Beloozero, the founder of the monastery and the great churchman of the 14th century, was thought to be lost. About thirty fragments of the cover survived in different museums; and only thanks to the specialists of the museum and the talented restores, it became possible to recreate this virtu. The chased figures are remarkably expressive and bear some individual features; the faces have some lively features. These covers are real masterpieces of Russian applied and decorative art.