Lombard and Venetian Architects in Muscovy, 1472-1539

270 Pages·2017·11.62 MB·English

by  Ellen A. Hurst

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CCUUNNYY AAccaaddeemmiicc WWoorrkkss
Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects CUNY Graduate Center
2-2014
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Ellen A. Hurst
Graduate Center, City University of New York
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ITALIANS AND THE NEW BYZANTIUM: LOMBARD AND VENETIAN ARCHITECTS IN
MUSCOVY, 1472-1539

by

ELLEN A. HURST

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Art History in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York
2014
© 2014
ELLEN A. HURST
All Rights Reserved
This manuscript has been read and accepted for the
Graduate Faculty in Art History in satisfaction of the
dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Professor James M. Saslow
Date Chair of Examining Committee

Professor Claire Bisop
Date Executive Officer

Professor James M. Saslow
Professor Jennifer Ball
Professor Warren Woodfin

Supervision Committee
THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

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Abstract

Italians and the New Byzantium: Lombard and Venetian Architects in Muscovy, 1472-1539

by

Ellen A. Hurst

Advisor: Professor James M. Saslow

This dissertation explores how early modern Russian identity was shaped by the built
environment and, likewise, how the built environment was a result of an emerging Russian
identity. I focus on the years 1472 to 1539 because they were crucial to the formation of this
early modern Russian identity. Muscovite princes, seeking to rebuild Moscow's cityscape in a
grander style, imported a large community of architects, engineers, stonemasons, and statesmen
from Lombardy, the Veneto, and Rome. At least six architects, and an unknown number of
masons, from Italy worked in Muscovy during these years, and their presence indelibly changed
the face of Russian architecture and culture. The Muscovite princes sought to recreate the
cityscape of Moscow as a symbol of the power gained when Ivan III freed his people from
Mongol control and began consolidating Russian lands into an emerging, unified state.
Furthermore, with the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, Muscovy declared itself capital
of Orthodox Christendom, casting its authority across the Russian lands.
Accordingly on the ascent, Muscovy actively sought to define its emerging sense of
national identity in a new architectural language; it deliberately looked to the traditions of
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Medieval and Renaissance Italy to assist in this process. The resulting hybrid architecture was a
combination of the revered architectural traditions of medieval Kiev and Novgorod with the
Western Renaissance, all overlaid with a fervent Byzantine theological persuasion. Thus,
Muscovy’s use of foreign architects is emphatically not indicative of a deference to a “superior”
West or of a desire to become or appear Western, as some older scholarship implies. Instead, it
reveals the ingenuity of a culture on the verge of statehood, one that seems to have understood
that artistic forms could be transferred and “repurposed.”
Acknowledgements

I am indebted to a number of people without whose help I could not have completed this
dissertation. My advisor, Professor James Saslow, gave me wonderful encouragement and
practical advice throughout the writing process. His willingness to read numerous drafts,
providing feedback on both micro- and macro-level issues, was invaluable from the earliest
stages of research through the last refinements of my final draft. I am also grateful to my
committee members, Professors Jennifer Ball, Warren Woodfin, and Asen Kirin, who provided
generous and thoughtful feedback and guidance.
My husband, Kevin O’Rourke, supported me in every way imaginable as I completed this
project; I could not have completed it without his good humor and support. Finally, I am grateful
to my parents, who invested me with a love of art and history, and who introduced me to Russian
culture. Most importantly, I thank them for teaching me to ask “Why?”

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CONTENTS

Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

List of Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Chapter

INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Introduction and Methodology

Dissertation Structure

1. LOMBARD ARCHITECTS WORKING FOR IVAN III. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Ivan III and the Rise of Moscow

The Catholic Church, Italy, and Sofia Palaiologina

Russian Architectural Heritage

Rebirth

First Mission to Italy: Simeon Tolbuzin

Cathedral of the Dormition in the Kremlin

Second Mission to Italy

Pietro Antonio Solari

The Faceted Palace

Other Friazi Working in Moscow

Ivan’s Final Mission to Italy: Alevisio Novi

2. VENETIAN (AND LOMBARD) ARCHITECTS IN MOSCOW, 1505-1539. . . . . . . . . . . . .92
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Vasily III Succeeds Ivan in 1505

Vasily’s Architectural Inheritance

Cathedral of the Archangel Micheal and Alevisio “Novi”

Alevisio’s Background in Italy

Alevisio is Recruited

Alevisio in Moscow

Alevisio’s Other Projects in Moscow

Vasily’s Mission to Rome

Identifying ‘Petrok Maly’ as Pietro Annibale

Pietro Annibale’s Defensive Architecture

Kitai Gorod

Pietro Annibale’s Churches

The Church of the Resurrection

The Church of the Ascension at Kolomenskoe

Origins of the Shatior Roof

Other Friazi in Vasily’s Moscow

3. AFTER THE ITALIANS: MUSCOVITE COMPOSITE STYLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Muscovite Culture after Vasily III

Moscow and England

Moscow and the Ottoman Empire

Muscovite Architecture after the Shatior Roof

Continuation of the Shatior Church

Flourishing of Muscovite Composite Style
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The Decapitation of Saint John the Baptist at Diakovo

The Church of the Intercession on the Moat (Saint Basil the Blessed)

New Jerusalem

Exterior Decoration

Interior Decoration

Sources for Saint Basil the Blessed

Byzantine Influence

Italian Influence

Antonio di Piero Averlino (Filarete)

Francesco di Giorgio Martini

Leonardo da Vinci

Sebastiano Serlio

Muscovite Composite Style in the Late Sixteenth Century and After

Implications and Emergence of the New Style

CONCLUSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Russia and the West

Transculturation

Lasting Impact of Cultural Interaction

Broadening Study of the Renaissance

Renascences

Limitations

Recommendations for Further Research

BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242