by Olga BAZANOVA

Four hundred years ago, in 1613, Russian Lands Assembly elected Mikhail Romanov of the Family of high-born boyar nobles to the Russian throne. He became the first czar of the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia up until the year 1917. To mark this milestone event the Moscow History Museum opened an updated exhibition in what once used to be the Chambers of the Romanov Boyars. We invite you to take a closer look at this unique exhibition featuring so many curios of the 17th century-art masterpieces, glass- and silverware, furniture, fabrics and what not! laid out in posh palatial chambers.

The Romanov Chambers lie in the heart of Moscow, within a stone's throw from the Kremlin, in an old district known as Zaryadye, or "beyond the trading stalls", famous for the grand churches of St. George the Victorious (1658), Maxim the Blessed (1698-1699), St. Barbara the Martyr (1796-1804)... This is also the site of the English Podvorye (English Court) we have told you about.* Close by rise the Holy Sign Monastery founded in 1629 with its icon of the Mother of God ("Holy Sign" Icon) revered by the Romanovs as a great holy as well as

* See: A. Sotin, "The Old English Court, Its Inmates", Science in Russia, No. 4, 2010; O. Borisova, "Like a Ship Off She Sailed Into Europe", Science in Russia, No. 3, 2013.--Ed.

Romanov Chambers.

the Fraternity Chambers and a belfry above the cell dormitories.

The cloister took in also the Romanov Chambers (affiliated with the State History Museum in 1932*). Back in the 16th century these chambers and lands around with household structures belonged to Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev, a boyar serving at the court of Czar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible). This man, Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev, was a son of Roman Yurievich, hence the family name of the dynasty, the Romanovs. Mikhail Feodorovich, a grandson to Roman Yurievich, is said to have been born there in 1596--the first Russian czar of the Romanov dynasty. As a Moscow sovereign Mikhail Romanov moved to the Kremlin, donating his familial estate in Zaryadye (or "H.M. Old Court") to the Holy Sign Monastery.

Experts say the Romanov Chambers as well as the neighboring English Podvorye were built of stone at the close of the 15th century. Yet time and fire did not spare them. The ravages of the fire of 1668 were particularly bad--one had to take apart the scorched walls down to the white-stone basement. Five years later architect Mejety Alexeyev put up new chambers, in two levels, with the lower level built of brick surviving down to our days. Yet time took its toll, and by the mid-19th century these chambers had become shabby, as Emperor Alexander II, who visited Moscow in 1856 for the coronation ceremony, could see it at first hand. He ordered restoration works; the manor and the service quarters were to be rebuilt back to their original design, all the more so since there came a revival of interest in Russian history, in the Russian style in architecture and art**.

The rich would build their homes in the form of the

* V. Yegorov, "Treasure-House of Russian History", Science in Russia, No. 5, 2004.-Ed.

** See: T. Geidor, "Diversity of Styles in Russian Architecture", Science in Russia, No. 5, 2009.-Ed.

Russian letter ("Glagol"), that is in two parts at the right angle enclosing an inner courtyard. This very form and the exterior decor of the 17th century (cornice, semicolumns set up at the corners of the manor house as well as windows and balconies) were much in vogue in palatial chambers then. The old missing porch was rebuilt anew together with the upper level of wood crowned by a tall mansard (curb) hip roof. The restored interiors were furnished accordingly. The restoration work was completed in 1859, and the Romanov House was opened to visitors, one of Russia's first museums on the domestic life of the Romanov progenitors.

The work of restoration experts--historians, architects, builders and artists--in the mid-19th century made it possible to preserve this historic monument down to our days. Today, by the quatercentenary of the Romanov House, only partial restoration was needed. Thus, to renovate the walls of the refectory (the most spacious and imposing hall in the palatial chambers, where the Romanovs got together for dinner and received guests) the restoration artists had a brocade fabric manufactured at a hand-operated loom; they did it by taking pieces of the fabric in care of the Moscow Museum of History as a sample (this brocade was made in the 1850s during the major restoration works). The ornament on the upholstery was done into Mikhail Romanov's monograms and griffins (mythical creatures with the head and wings of an eagle and the body and legs of a lion). Such beasts were a symbol of power and might. Nikita Romanovich Zakharyin-Yuriev was the first of the kin to use the griffin for heraldry that, in 1856, became part of the emblem of the ruling Romanov dynasty.

The ceiling of the refectory is decorated with ornamental designs reproduced from the hand-written book (anno 1672-1673, kept in the Moscow Kremlin museums*) on

* See: A. Nikolayeva, "Moscow Kremlin Museums", Science in Russia, No. 5, 2006.-Ed.

the election of Mikhail Feodorovich to the throne. The miniatures illuminating that book presented in much detail the costumes, architectural decor, landscapes and house furnishings of the time. Plant shoots and leaves yoked into fantastic pictorial images and curlicues rise in symmetry up the arches (this kind of ornamentation dubbed "rampant wild grasses" was in the mainstream of the pictorial style of "wondrous uzorochye (design)* and the follow-up style of Russian baroque**). Amidst these lush grasses, leaves and flowers are state emblems with their double-headed eagles, MFR (Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov) monograms and griffins.

All these images are set to advantage by bright contrasting colors proper to the Russian decorative and applied arts of the time noted for a sense of love of living and fixation on ambient natural settings. The palette combines three colors--green, yellow and red; red, the "czarist color", is in more than twenty hues and shades, it was much in favor with rich customers; it dominated the Kremlin chambers and manors of the rich in ornamental designs, upholstery, fabrics and full-dress costumes.

Windows of mica framed in metal let in sunlight. Benches stand by the walls, as in any Russian home of those days. The floor is parketed in oak. A large dinner table is set in the middle, next to the festal, "red" corner (the best part of any Russian home), under the icons "St. Nicholas Worn by the Belt", "St. Trinity of the Old Testament", and the "Kazan Mother of God" ("Our Lady of Kazan")... The pecking order was a must during feasts: one took a seat

* This 17th-century style in architecture and decorative-applied arts was noted for sophisticated forms and exuberant decor, and lavish scenic settings.--Ed.

** See: I. Terekhova, "Russian Baroque", Science in Russia, No. 2, 2009.-Ed.

according to rank and nobility. The most high-born sat next to the family head who mounted the place of honor at the head of the table. Hand-washing vessels (pitcher and basin) were nearby.

This state hall for grand dinners and receptions attested to the high social status of the host. The exquisite tableware harmonized with the lavish upholstery and ceiling. A cupboard wrought at the close of the sixteen-hundreds is definitely an eye-catcher: its mica leaves adorned with pictures of tulips opened onto ornate cases holding the most precious pieces of tableware--and array of drinking glasses, bowls, chalices, goblets, scoops, and that sort of thing to grace the table. There were forks, too,--something new just coming into use and still a curio.

Yet another wonder looking like a silver scoop or ladle, inscribed on the edge to Afanasy Boldyr, a citizen of the town of Samara; he received it for a profit he made to the state coffers (such gifts were awarded for military and civil merits). The refectory has quite a few things of foreign make present in Russian homes of the 17th century: armchairs, clocks and tableware manufactured in Western Europe and the Orient as well as a Swedish-made thurible (censer), Turkish antimacassars (ornamental coverings put over chairs and benches), all that enlivened by German engravings.

Put on display are also copies of the 17th-century Book of Pedigree (record-keeping book containing registers of high-born kinsfolk) and Evangelium) belonging to Fyodor Koshka, a prominent political figure of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, a Romanov ancestor. This Holy Book written on parchment is illuminated with particolored miniatures of plants, beasts and geometric designs. The gilded silver setting of the manuscript is decorated with skan (filigree design of fine wire), chased images of

angels and saints; the name of the client and the date, anno 1392, are inscribed on the margins.

The following room--not as festive but lush enough--is dominated by a gamut of green colors. This is the "master's private den". The Dutch stove is furnished with glazed greenish tiles (of "green-grass" color, a popular Russian pictorial motif) and raised relief figures of historical and fancy personages, situational and battle scenes ("Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia"; "Nightingale the Robber", a folklore hero; "Agonists Locked Up"; "Siege of a Fortress"). The cloth of the same green color bespreads the benches and two walls. The other two walls are covered by gilded Dutch leather jazzed up with bright plant designs, the foppish decor of those days.

A desk with an icon above holds the writing paraphernalia--quills, a chest for documents, an inkpot set glazed with enamel; "A Correspondence of Ivan the Great and Andrei Kurbsky" published in the 17th century and enjoying much popularity is there, too. Nikita Romanovich, historians say, perused this book. The trunk close by and the wall recesses hold leather-bound folios (one kept books in wall recesses then); a portrait of Tikhon Nikitich Streshnev, a boyar who tutored the young czar Peter I*, is on the wall opposite the desk. The library and the rest room with things displayed over there testify to the intellectual and spiritual wants of the master, and to progress made in printing and education of Russia of the sixteen-hundreds. The literature of these rooms was traditional for private libraries of the time. Above all these are spiritual editions like Evangelium, the prayer-books Apostle, Festive Menologion, Service Menologion, side by side with the Seeing Paschalia with the dates of Easter

* See: "Extracts from A History of Peter I by Alexander Pushkin", Science in Russia, No. 5, 2013.-Ed.

and other church holidays for years ahead. This well-illuminated book carries articles on medicine and astronomy as well. A novel of chivalry, The Tale of the Queen and Lioness, much popular in Europe, is there in Russian translation, together with part of the Old Testament Annates Ecclesiastici in Latin. The book collection is rich enough.

Next we enter the room set aside for older sons--rather small, with modest furnishings and walls of turquoise upholstery. Boys, five or six years of age, and older lived there (smaller kids stayed with their mother in the women's part of the chambers). As a matter of fact, domestic education of boys was broad enough: they were coached for government service. They learned wisdom from a good many books and manuals, e.g., the first printed primer compiled by Karion Istomin with engravings by Ivan Bunin; Rhetoric, Annalist, Book of Hours, or Menologion. Put on the table is a course in arithmetic and Alexandria (a tale of the life of Alexander the Great). Also, a compass supplied with a timepiece, a map and protractor--quite useful practical aids for students. The earth's globe, designed by Vincenzo Coronelli of Italy, copies the original. This Italian, famous all over Europe as a cartographer, was also a maker of teaching aids in geography.

There are lots of other things to see here. Let's pause for a while before stepping into the women's quarters of the house. By the old Slav tradition women and children occupied the upper wooden level of the chambers. Men stayed on the ground floor, and in case of an enemy attack they were all set to protect their wives and daughters. The steep staircase leading to the upper storey was yet another vantage position for defense--the male occupants, fighting back, could throw the unwelcome guests downstairs and chase them out. The anteroom (porch) of

the chambers was also used for storage of house-keeping things placed in trunks.

Female wear is exhibited in showcases--such things as padded jackets of Chinese silk. We see a looking glass, brocade slippers, gilded earrings with gems, a pair of scissors shaped like a bird, flatiron, a smart kokoshnik (headdress) studded with pearls, and many other nice things to please our ladies... And here's Domostroi, a great book for homemakers compiled in Novgorod the Great in the 15th century. It contains many useful tips in what concerned house-keeping and good manners. Wives were to obey their husbands absolutely and cater to their wants. Man reigned supreme as master, hence the patriarchal male chauvinism of this book written in a straightforward, lively language and larded with proverbs and sayings. One could learn a lot digging into it.

Two spacious rooms are next to the porch--one set aside for the housemistress, and the other surving as a solar, or front room. Both are furnished with a few large windows. The wooden walls and golden ceiling are decorated with filigree carvings; upholstery in red hues and playthings on the Persian carpet lend a touch of domestic comfort and stability. No place like home! The lady's room displays traditional cloth-covered benches flush

against the walls. A particolored faceted stove heated the lodgement. Two easy chairs, a dresser and a variety of trinkets added more to the comfort. And books, books, and books... A bunch of keys was there at the ready. The house mistress made use of toiletries kept in a special casket, with another one for jewelry.

Girls stayed with their mother up to the marriage age. They married out young, at twelve or thirteen, not later than fifteen. So the - age of consent was quite low. The trousseau (wear, bedclothes, headgear, jewelry) was prepared beforehand, it was kept in a dowry trunk and itemized in a "register of agreement". The sisters of the bride assisted by housemaids betook to weaving and sewing, they were confined to a solar equipped accordingly. There is a loom made of wood only, without any metal nail, and quite ornate--carved figurines of animals, flowers, designs and suchlike frills bedeck the loom from top to bottom. Standing by the window is a spinning wheel and distaff. Lots of things for needlework to keep the young ladies busy... Everything is true to life here--all too real. It looks as if the maids, in the land of the living centuries ago, had stepped out just for a while, leaving their knitting needles, balls of wool and caskets filled with gem-studded dresses. Lo and behold! The girls will be back in just a moment...

In old days the living quarters of a house were called a "cellar", with a semibasement built in the socle. This room was under a kitchen, stove and foodstuff supplies. There were trunks with sundry clothes and farming implements. Two cellars furnished with narrow slits for windows just under the ceiling have survived in the Romanov House. One of them, built of brick in the early fifteen-hundreds, is still in good shape. Not all of the building bricks were there at the time of the full-scale restoration works of the mid-1850s. The missing bricks were replaced, some bearing the mark "anno 1856", the year when restoration began. Today these premises are under an exhibition of handy utensils like pitchforks, scythes, sickles, reaping-hooks, tubs, metalware, mortar-and-pestle--whatever was needed for the household. A rich nobleman's estate in Moscow differed but little from country households in tools and life styles.

Still there in the Romanov Chambers is a white-stone cellar built at the close of the fourteen-hundreds. This is one of the oldest historical monuments of Moscow. Today it exhibits a collection of memorabilia related to the first owner of the manorial estate, Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev of the Romanov kin. Among the most interesting objects displayed here are rare Livonian coins with a griffin image--probably a boyar nobleman sent as governer to Livonia (part of the Baltic region in what is now Latvia and Estonia) impressed his emblem. A trunk doubling as a safe was furnished with a hidden-catch lock; it served as a coffer for money and other valuables. It also contained an oval chest covered with nerpa leather, a useful thing for long voyages.

There is also a panoply of cold steel--spears, daggers, dirks, pole-axes, maces and that sort of thing. Old guns and cannon of the 16th and 17th centuries are there, too. The muzzle of one gun reads: "This here harquebus was cast under Mikhail Feodorovich Czar of All Russia in the Year of Grace 7126 (anno 1618, Ed.). Master Gregory Naumov." Side by side we see a hauberk, shirt of mail, shield, a helmet together with a bag for powder, bullets, and harnesses and other kinds of outfit.

Quite recently, the collection of the white-stone cellar was in for a welcome addition timed for the quatercentenary of the Romanov House--this is the silken ensign (field banner of Nikita Romanovich), an honor accorded to great warlords. It was restored back to its original design by Restoration Institute experts* who used its 17th-century description in care of the Moscow Xremlin Armory** as well as standards that have preserved to our

* See: O. Firsova, L. Shestopalova, "Saving Masterpieces", Science in Russia, No. 1, 2008.-Ed.

** See: A. Sawina, "The Armory of Russian Czars", Science in Russia, No. 5, 2006.-Ed.

days. The Romanov's is in the shape of a rectangle 2.82 meters long and forking at the end, with a griffin image in the middle; the flagstaff ends with a spear above.

There is also a new exposition dealing with the sons of Nikita Zakharyin-Yuriev (one of them was Filaret, the father of Mikhail Romanov). Under Boris Godunov (who reigned in 1598 top 1605) Zakharyin-Yuriev was accused of conspiring against the czar. We cannot tell whether this charge was true or not; historians differ on that. Be that as it may, Godunov would rather keep influential boyars off the grass, conspiracy or not. Five sons were banished, three of them died in exile. Guests can see

a map with the exact places of banishment. The Russian State Archives of Ancient Acts handed in the "criminal case" filed against the Romanovs, together with reports of police officers and the New Analist chronicle compiled after 1613 with Mikhail Romanov's ascension to the throne. Patriarch Philaret (Filaret) was among the compilers. This chronicle is an official version of Russian history in the late sixteen-hundreds and early seventeenth-hundreds.

Among other novelties are letters of Mikhail Romanov and his parents dwelling on political and family problems. His mother's portrait (she took the veil as nun Marfa, her lay name was Xenia Ivanovna). The portrait showing her as an elderly woman was painted in the early 18th century, that is posthumously, by an unknown artist. Guesta to the museum could learn many new things about the family that begot several generations of Russian monarchs and about their activities as makers of history.

Illustrations supplied by the author