Читать книгу The history of Russian chest craft (19th – early 20th centuries). Collection of scientific articles - Глеб Пудов - Страница 5

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 North44). 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 production45. 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. 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 the stated 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»46.

One of the earliest mentions of the word «podgolovnik» occurs in 1574 in the Book of the Volokolamsk monastery parish47. 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 kept48. The «podgolovnik» is mentioned among the purchases of Catherine I in 172249.

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 locks50. 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)51. On the inside of the lid or on the walls of the northern items, you can find a painting52. 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…»53.

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 mansions54. 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 product55. 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»56, 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 of which all ornamental delights look like optional additions57.

There is an interesting «podgolovnik» of small size (14.5x16.0x9.5) in the collection of the Sergiev Posad Museum Reserve58. According to museum attribution, it was made in the 18th century in the village Pavlovo, Gorbatovsky district. The item is made of oak, tinted, bound with solid iron strips, between which there are four metal openwork plates (on the lid). The latter resemble a human figure with arms spread out to the sides. Under the pads there are pieces of red mica. There is a mortise lock on the front wall of the chest, and molded handles on the sides. The article in question is interesting not only as evidence of the widespread use of chests (they were made not only in the Russian North), but also as an illustration of their rich artistic potential. In contrast to the work from the department of folk art, the chest of the Sergiev Posad Museum Reserve is distinguished by its special privacy, even being like a toy, a kind of coziness in its external look.

English product («desk box», in a private collection)59 is similar to the Russians’ in design and form. But other aspects are significantly different. The item is decorated with skillfully made carvings, consisting of images of dragons, rosettes, tulips-like flowers. The cover is flat. The product was used for writing60. The clarity, compositional balance of the ornament, confidently carved images testify to the experience of the master, his high professionalism.

Another english product (dated 1580—1620) which is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum61 is also interesting. It is made of oak inlaid with boxwood and bog oak (eight drawers inside are made of poplar). The upper part and the hinged lid of the product are decorated with strips of checkerboard ornament. Images of buildings in the style of decorative motifs adopted on «nonsuch» chests are placed on the front, back and side walls. Each side also has an inlaid image of an eight-pointed star. There is a metal mask on the front wall. This «podgolovnik» has different proportions compared to the previous one (it also served as a writing instrument). It testifies to the stability and «flexibility» of the form of this type of english chest products, to the variety of their decoration. English craftsmen in the 19th century made such items, decorated not only with mosaics from multi-colored pieces of wood, but also with patterns borrowed from «Berlin» woolen products62.

German products («Geldwechsler-Schatulle», «Reise-Schreibpult») are similar to Russian and english in appearance63. Their internal cavities are separated by boxes and shelves. Various techniques were used in the decoration. The craftsmen of the items under consideration, made in the 18th century from walnut, maple, birch and oak, turned to intarsia, painting and coloring. The decorative design of the products is based on a combination of geometric and floral motifs. A painted glass plate is placed in the center. There are brass handles and covers. In general, these are highly artistic works of the German Baroque, created by professional craftsmen. «Podgolovnik» served as a place for keeping money of the money changer and a traveller’s writing instrument.

Norwegian «podgolovnik»64 dates back to 1751. It has the same construction as other things of this kind, but slightly different proportions. The lid rises with iron curly hinges, on the sides there are simple cast handles. From the inside, the chest has several shelves (not preserved). The surfaces of the product (except for the back and side ones) are divided into rectangular segments, in each of which, in a blue frame, there is a pictorial composition consisting of images of bouquets. They are painted in the fast, improvised manner of Norwegian wood painting. The rest of the surfaces are painted red. On the edges of the lid there are inscriptions in white paint: «Ek Ols Domis (?) Ann 1751». Perhaps the thing served as a travel chest for the official.

The English product is particularly noteworthy. It has other proportions, in its shape resembling a chest of drawers65. It has a smooth slanted cover; the front and side walls are decorated with geometric and floral designs (low relief). The background is processed with shading. The lower half of the product slides out. The work is characterized by clarity, confidence in the work of the carver, and the easily readable ornament testifies to the rich experience of the master.

In the collection of the department of folk art of the Russian Museum there is a chest, in proportions resembling a chest of drawers (dates back to the 18th century)66. Its front and side walls are upholstered with slotted iron plates with a floral ornament consisting of intertwining curls (background is brown velvet). The bottom and back side are reinforced with solid iron plates. There are several shelves and drawers inside the product, the lower part can be pulled out.

Such a parallel between the north Russian and english works is not accidental, in view of the close trade ties that were established between Russia and England through the northern ports in the middle of the 16th century67. It is possible that the very type of chest product, called «podgolovnik» in Russia, penetrated from Western Europe precisely through the cities of the Russian North. Moreover, such cases are known in relation to other types of Russian folk art. The researcher of folk art Lev Dinces wrote about the European origin of the so-called «Vologda glass» (embroidery), which penetrated into Russia through english merchants who traded in Arkhangelsk68. In other words, the introduction of «podgolovnik» into Russia was probably the result of a brief flourishing of Russian-English relations in the 16th century.

Comparison of all these items made their differences clear. As mentioned above, they are similar only in design and shape, in all other respects they are different. This is because chests were made in different historical and cultural settings for different customers. Russian masters, having appreciated the merits of foreign works, their convenient, practical forms, adopted only the construction69. «Transplanted» in the Russian «soil», the Russian product acquired significant differences from the «originals», naturally became part of a number of domestic products. Thus, not the shape and design of this type of product has undergone changes depending on the place and time of production, but the purpose and decoration.

In this context, the question of influences loses its acuteness. It is only necessary to state that Russian and Western European artisans were participants of a single cultural process. Therefore, it is more important not to register certain influences, not to look for similarities in specific details, but to analyze the environment, conditions, circumstances that ensured the fusion of creative impulses.

It is important to point out the term «hidden existence», which is used in folklore studies to denote some of the features of the existence of works. It seems that the acceptance or rejection of certain forms and ornaments by the artisans of chests also depended on their «hidden existence» in the local tradition. Only forms of products and ornamental motifs similar to those coming from outside took root. The researcher of Russian folklore Yu. Smirnov pointed out: «… what is borrowed is what corresponds either – less often – to the old, dying ones, or – more often – to the new, emerging, norms of the borrowing folk tradition. Consequently, when stating a borrowing, one should always look for local, actually ethnic, behind it or next to it, whether it is only traces, pieces and fragments of the forgotten»70. These words are true not only in relation to folklore, but also to chest production.

Published: Русские сундуки-подголовники: художественный стиль и культурно-исторический контекст // Вестник культуры и искусств. – 2020. – №2 (62). – С. 71—77.