The Martinoff Drawings

1880

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Dominant colour

The Martinoff Drawings is a 1880 by Nikolai Avenirovich Martynov, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Nikolai Avenirovich Martynov
When & what style?: 1880 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This is a small, fancy metal box with two sides. One side shows a golden cross with a figure on it, surrounded by a dark blue background. The other side has a detailed design with swirling patterns and a small raised picture inside. The edges are decorated with tiny carved leaves and letters. The box looks like it was meant to be opened and closed, with hinges and a clasp. The writing around the sides is in a language that isn’t English, and it looks old-fashioned. If you like this kind of detailed craftsmanship, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

The Martinoff Drawings by Nikolai Avenirovich Martynov from 1880 depict the portable panagia of Patriarch Nikon at its actual size. The exterior drawing features the front with a depiction of the Crucifixion and the back with an abstract pattern, while the interior drawing includes an image of the Virgin and Child alongside a Biblical scene. These sixty commissioned drawings were acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1880.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Nikolai Avenirovich Martynov

A quiet man who sketched theater posters by day and drew crowds of St. Petersburg street kids by night, Martynov carried a dog-eared copy of Dostoevsky in his coat pocket. His Martinoff Drawings show gaunt faces and…

See the richer artist page