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Holy Friday. Results of the restoration of the wooden polychrome sculpture

L'exposition 22 décembre 2022 − 30 janvier 2023
The Great Martyr Paraskeva is one of the most venerated holy wives in Russia. A special attitude is associated with her name, translated from Greek to mean the fifth day of the week, which the Church dedicates to the remembrance of the suffering of Christ and His Sacrifice of the Cross. Therefore, the name of Paraskeva was attached to the second name "Friday", as it was called in the popular environment. The Great Martyr was considered a "saint of women," who helped in marriage and chadorship and in all kinds of women's work, and served as the patroness of agriculture and cattle breeding.

The carved wooden polychrome sculpture "Great Martyr Paraskeva Friday" presented at the exhibition was purchased by the museum in 2019 from a private individual. It was immediately taken to the restoration workshop because of the threat of loss of the author's paint layer. The entire surface was under a solid layer of deterioration and modern partial overcoating.

When studying the sculpture, it became clear that the technology of its creation is different from the ancient Russian tradition, and its stateliness and sense of the integrity of the block, typical of the monuments of the XVI-XVII centuries, are associated with an orientation to an earlier revered model. In terms of its proportions, plastic solution and the nature of painting, the high relief dates back to the first half of the XVIII century. It was created by a professional carver, probably in Tver or Yaroslavl Zavolzhye.

The exhibition will not only introduce the rare monument of church sculpture, but also present the results of its restoration in the museum.