Royal vestments and military costume in Russia. Royal robes

The power and wealth of the Muscovite state was reflected in the brilliance of the royal court: in the magnificent receptions of foreign embassies, the golden decoration of the palace chambers, the precious clothes of the sovereign and his entourage. Diplomats and travelers noted with surprise that the boyars, nobles and high clergy who were present at the audience in the Kremlin were dressed in incredibly expensive clothes. Ancient documents often refer to them as the "golden" dress.

Archbishop Arseniy of Elasson, who attended a reception at Tsarina Irina Fyodorovna Godunova, wrote that at the sight of the luxurious vestments of the empress, all those present were seized by some kind of "sweet thrill of reverence", since "the smallest part of this splendor would be enough to adorn ten sovereigns."

Thanks to the wide trade, diplomatic and cultural ties of Ancient Russia, Moscow received unique precious fabrics from Iran, Turkey, Italy, France and other countries: golden velvets, smooth and pile-patterned satins, taffeta, axamites and altabas.

Fabrics were valued very highly and often served as a reward. It is no coincidence that a dress granted from the royal shoulder was considered in the 16th-17th centuries. expensive gift. Giving gifts to others, the tsar himself did not hesitate to use the property and even the clothes of the dead or disgraced boyars. If clothes fell out of use, they were either donated to the church, or cut into small items, or assigned for sale. The buyers of the royal dress were the boyars, clerks, clerks and the closest relatives of the tsar.

The royal outfit consisted of several items worn one on top of the other, but at the same time making up a single whole. "Wearing one dress was revered for great shamelessness and due for great dishonor!", Foreigners noted. In addition to dresses, the royal vestments included clothes and regalia that were used on especially solemn occasions: a golden cross with a chain, barmas, a crown cap, a scepter, an orb, a staff, a rod, a fold, for a fee, a camp caftan. The dressing of the sovereign was accompanied by a complex, carefully thought-out ritual.

Among the most revered ceremonial dresses were opashni (outer oar clothes with long sleeves narrowed to the wrist). Since the time of Ivan IV the Terrible, the opashen has been the favorite royal clothing. It was sewn from rare sorts of silk (zuf, obyar, velvet, golden damask) and worn without a belt, sometimes thrown over the shoulders over the caftan. An important feature of this dress was a kind of collar - "necklace".

By the middle of the 17th century, a fee was included in the full royal vestment. It was made from precious imported fabrics, decorated with woven and "forged" lace, pearls, gold buttons with precious stones, and fur. The payment of Tsar Peter I has been preserved, made in the Kremlin Workshop Chamber in 1691 from fabric donated to the sovereign by the Ukrainian hetman Mazepa.

On the days of celebrations, they wore barmas - a large rounded collar with the image of saints. In the 17th century they remained an obligatory accessory of royal vestments. In the middle of the century, regalia were ordered for Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Istanbul, among which were barmes from seven huge gold zapons with precious stones and enamel, fixed on a white silk mantle.

During the wedding ceremony, the kingdom was put on for a fee over an elegant camp caftan, which was sewn fitted, according to the figure, that is, according to the "stand". Dresses for the solemn exits of the sovereign were made of precious fabrics - golden Italian aksamites and oriental altabass.

The looped Aksamites were especially beautiful. The pattern on them was made with golden loops of various types, which created a rich play of chiaroscuro. Pavel of Aleppo wrote about the sakkos of Patriarch Nikon: "It is made ... of pure gold brocade of yellow-walnut color ... Nikon offered us to pick it up, and we could not do it. They say that it contains a pood of pearls ...". Indeed, the jewels on the sakkos weigh about 16 kg. Clothes made of axamite did not bend, did not fold and gave the impression of metal.

The royal attire also included chains. Those that were sewn onto ribbons of fabric in the form of separate precious zapolinks were called “okladen”. They preferred gold frames made of round flat rings with engraving, niello, and enamel. On the rings they wrote the full title of the king and a prayer.

The clothing of the clergy with wealth and splendor was not inferior to that of the king. It was kept in the Patriarchal sacristy and the sacristies of the Kremlin churches and monasteries. Sewn from expensive fabrics, these robes were decorated with embroidery, pearls, precious stones, various golden fragments.

“The best that women can do here,” wrote one of the foreign travelers, “is to sew well and embroider beautifully with silk and gold.” In the 17th century more than 100 skilled embroiderers worked in the Kremlin workshops. Their works are rightly called painting with a needle.

Often embroidered "attached", for which thin threads of precious metal were applied to the fabric and fixed with colored silk. The embroidery resembled a metal product with a high chased relief, when the flooring of threads or thick cord was completely sewn up with gold. The most luxurious clothes were stitched with a "forged seam". This technique involved a continuous covering of the fabric with gold threads, so that the impression of a smooth metal surface was created.

Finishing was of great importance in the manufacture of ceremonial vestments. Sometimes it was more durable than fabric and passed from one product to another. The magnificent decorations of the sakkos of Patriarch Nikon (1654) - gold and black fragments, pearls, precious stones - date back to the 15th century. In 1691, a sakkos was remade from the platna of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich for Patriarch Adrian.

The ancient Russian costume was often complemented by metal lace, which consisted of openwork gold rectangular plates with enamel and precious stones. Lace was sewn over the fabric and gave the clothes a special elegance, although it made it very heavy and uncomfortable. In the inventories of the property of noble boyars of the 17th century. there are common references to buttons made of gold and silver, which were valued dozens of times more expensive than the clothes themselves.

The royal treasury kept a lot of ready-made clothes, given out especially for participation in the court ceremonial. “Golden” dress, furs, and precious jewelry were also supplied to those who went abroad with an embassy, ​​so that they would look worthy in foreign lands.

Notes

"In front of the Audience Hall ... around the walls sat and stood old and portly men with long different and gray beards, in gold robes and high sable hats. These, they say, are the" guests "of His Royal Majesty or eminent merchants; their clothes belong His Royal Majesty's treasuries and is issued only under circumstances similar to ours, and then surrendered back ... "

Adam Olschleger Olearius

Tableware at the royal and princely courts in Russia in the 16th-17th centuries was mostly silver and gold. Naturally, only the nobility had gold and silver utensils, decorated with precious stones and pearls. However, the dishes used by ordinary people had exactly the same shape, although they were made from less noble materials - wood and clay.

Utensils made of precious metals, crystal, glass and mother-of-pearl were the wealth of the house,

and occupied, after icons, almost the first place in the decoration of the dwelling. Tableware was the subject of panache and, at every opportunity, was put on display as evidence of the wealth of the owner. Feasts and receptions were especially magnificent. Everyone knows the phrase "throw a feast for the whole world."

K.E. Makovsky 1883_Boyar wedding feast in the 17th century.

Ladle

Bucket of Ivan the Terrible 1563. Gold, black, sapphires, pearls.

Ladle silver, partly gilded late 16th-early 17th century

It has long been customary to accompany a good treat in Russia with intoxicating drink. This custom has been going on since pagan times, and Vladimir the Red Sun became famous for the memorable words: “Russia is the joy of drinking, it cannot exist without it.” The most common intoxicating drink in Russia was drinking honey from ladles. It is assumed that ladles come from the North of Russia. The ancient ladles were carved from wood and looked like ancient boats or waterfowl - swans, geese, ducks. The first metal ladles, according to some researchers, were made in the 14th century by Novgorod craftsmen.

Korchik

Korchik 17th century. Russian enamel. Novgorod XVII century.
Silver, chasing, carving, casting, precious stones.

Miniature silver korchiki, intended for drinking strong drinks, are widely used in Russian life. They appeared in Russia in the 17th century with the advent of the first strong drinks - cognac and vodka. In its form, the korchik is close to the traditional Russian ladle and, like it, goes back to the image of a waterfowl. The inner and outer walls of the crust were richly decorated with a chased pattern in the form of images of the inhabitants of the seabed, figurines of animals and birds, heraldic eagles. The raised nose ended with a cast ball, bud or mascaron - a sculptural decoration in the form of a human face or animal head, cut off from behind and resembling a mask. On the crown of the korchik, inscriptions were often carved with the name of the owner, a wish for health, or moralizing.

Charka

Cup of Peter 1 which he carved with his own hands and presented it to Matvey Gagarin, the Moscow governor. 1709

The cup is gold, decorated with niello, enamel on the defense and a pearl. 1515

Charka 1704

Cup silver 1700

Charka, a round vessel for drinking, refers to the ancient form of dishes that have long existed in Russia. A strong drink was poured into them - "the sovereign's wine", as it was called in those days. Cups were made of silver and other metals. They were decorated with chased floral patterns, images of birds and marine animals. Often, the ornament covered the body and the tray of the cup. Personalized inscriptions were made on the crown. In the 17th century, the shape of the cups changed. They become taller, with a narrow bottom. Particular attention is paid to the decor. Cups are decorated with precious stones, multi-colored enamel. In the 17th century, cups made of mother-of-pearl and various types of stones - carnelian, jasper, rock crystal, were widely used, often in silver frames with precious stones. Such cups were highly valued.

A cup of honey.K.E.Makovsky

Bowl

Bowl gilded 17th century.

A bowl, the oldest deep drinking vessel without a handle, existed in Russia in the 11th-18th centuries. The word "cup" in Russia was not only invested in a substantive meaning, it also meant the custom of proclaiming toasts at the festive table - congratulations bowls. To drink a healthy cup meant to make a toast to someone's health or in someone's honor. The "sovereign's" cup was drunk for the sovereign's health, the "patriarch's cup" for the health of the patriarch, the "Mother of God's cup" in honor of the Mother of God, etc. In the first half of the 17th century, the shape and decoration of the cups clearly change. They become taller, placed on a pallet. Much attention is paid to decor. The bowls are decorated with multicolored enamels and precious stones.

Bratina

Clinton Broyles

Since ancient times in Russia there has been a custom of proclaiming a "healing cup" at the banquet table. In ancient times, in the 11th century, in monasteries, after a meal, they drank three cups: to the glory of God, in honor of the Virgin, for the health of the prince. This custom also existed at the Grand Duke's, and later at the royal court, bearing the name "chalice rank". During the feast, they were passed from neighbor to neighbor, fraternizing in this way. Hence their name - brothers. The first written mention of brothers dates back to the 16th century, but in the most numerous copies, brothers of the 17th century have survived to this day. They were made of gold, silver, bone stone and even coconut, in precious settings. The surface of the body was decorated with a chased or engraved floral ornament, decorated with hallmarks and "spoons", enamel, black drawing depicting biblical scenes. The lid of the bratina was in the form of a helmet or the dome of a church. The most interesting part of the bratina is the ornament and inscriptions that go along the crown. Usually this is the name of the owner, some wise saying or moralizing. For example, the most common inscriptions are: “Brother of the good of a person drinking from it for health ...”, “Wine is innocent, but drunkenness is cursed.” Bratiny were also used as funeral bowls, they were filled with well-fed - water with honey, and placed on graves and tombs.

endova

Close to the brother is another type of dishware - endova, which was widely used in everyday life until the end of the 17th century. In shape, it was a vessel in the form of a wide brother with a spout along the crown. The valleys were made of silver or copper: the body was decorated with chased "spoons" and floral patterns, and inscriptions were placed on the crown. Endova was used as tableware. Drinks were brought to the table in it - beer, mash, honey - and poured into drinking vessels. The valleys were of different sizes and contained from two to three to twelve liters. On holidays, smartly dressed housewives with valleys in their hands at their huts treated passers-by with drinks.

Stavets

Among the ancient Russian dishes there are small cylindrical bowls with lids, called stavtsy. The purpose of such dishes has not yet been precisely clarified. It is known that wooden stalls were intended for liquid food: cabbage soup, fish soup, vzvara (compote). Stavets were widely used in monasteries. There was even a saying "how many elders, so many stavtsy" or "each old man according to the stavets." For royal and boyar life, they were made of silver and used for dessert. Stavets was a personal dish. So Peter I owned a stavets in the form of a gilded silver bowl with a lid decorated with niello. The surface of the stave is covered with carvings depicting gilded double-headed eagles. On the crown there is an inscription: "The Grand Sovereign and Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, all the great and small and white Russian Autocrats."

Cup

Since ancient times, another form of dishes has been known in Russia - a goblet, an ancient vessel for wine. The shape of the cups was different and was determined by the shape of the body: in the form of a glass, a bell, a brother, various types of fruits: pumpkins, bunches of grapes, etc. There were figured goblets in the form of birds and animals. Stands of cups were made in the form of a leg, a cast human figure, a tree entwined with branches, a baluster (column). The pallet was in the form of an inverted bowl or saucer. Cups were almost always with lifting lids. Cups were made of gold, silver, decorated with relief, cast and engraved, enamel ornaments, overlaid medallions, precious stones. Cast figures were placed on the lids of the goblets. Cups made of colored stones, coconuts, mother-of-pearl shells, horns of various animals, and burl - a woody influx are mentioned. Such cups were often skillfully set with silver and decorated with precious stones. Until the 17th century, cups of mostly foreign work were used in Russia, which were brought from Europe by merchants or foreign guests as gifts or diplomatic gifts. Cups appeared in Russia mainly in the second half of the 17th century, Russian craftsmen they begin to create vessels, in the forms of which the influence of Western European utensils is felt. They were presented to family celebrations, anniversaries, as well as during the accession to the throne. Silver goblets were the pride of the owners, they were put on display at feasts for foreign guests and ambassadors.

The clothes of the king on weekdays were no different from the clothes of the nobility. However, at various celebrations, especially during the reception of ambassadors, the king dressed in precious clothes that amazed strangers with their luxury and wealth. In dress or ornate king included for a fee- a long swinging robe without a collar, greatly expanded downwards and having wide, short sleeves. For a fee, it was fastened end-to-end, and along the sides, hem and edges of the sleeves it was sheathed with an ornamental strip.

For a fee they sewed from golden fabrics - Altabas and aksamita. A round, rather wide collar was worn on top - barms. The barms were fastened at the back with buttons, embroidered with pearls and stones; small icons were also sewn on them. A golden "pectoral" cross was worn over the barm, and in the most solemn occasions salary- a golden chain consisting of two-headed eagles. The vestment was complemented by a scepter and an orb.

Scepter- wand, and power- a hollow golden ball with a cross, symbolizing the power of the king over the world. The tsar could wear various headdresses on his head, from tafya to the "Monomakh's hat", the traditional headdress of Russian tsars. Monomakh's hat was a low cone-shaped headdress with sable, edging and a cross on top.

The king's shoes were short boots made of morocco or velvet with expensive embroidery, and from the 16th century - soft, richly decorated shoes.

The military costume - armor - has changed relatively little compared to the pre-Mongolian period, mainly in details. In Moscow Russia, the basis of the armor was still chain mail. The chain mail shirt became only somewhat shorter, which was due to the technique of equestrian combat. Sometimes chain mail had a cut from top to bottom, thus turning into a jacket. Often, metal plates were attached to the mail armor on the chest and back. Chain mail could be sleeveless - the so-called columner.

Served as clothes for horsemen drag- a long caftan with a trump collar. Tyagilyai was sewn on a lining, and a layer of tow with metal plates embedded in it was laid between the lining and the top. The governors over the chain mail put on a short metal chest cuirass, on hands - metal plates ( bracers) and gloves. The legs were protected by "armored" boots - buturlyks or boots covered with metal plates like scales. Over the armor, the governors wore more nalatnik- a short cloak of the amice type with non-stitched floors at the sides and wide short sleeves. The nalatnik had a slit in front and was fastened with buttons.

Russian helmets were pointed. Unlike Western European helmets, they were always without a visor, but with a movable nosepiece - an arrow. During the period of wars with the Mongols, Russian helmets changed their shape. They lost their high pommel, as high helmets were easy to shoot down with a saber - the main weapon of the Mongols.

Some Russian helmets, the so-called misyurki, had a flat top and chain mail mesh - aventail, short in front and elongated on the sides and back. Sometimes the aventail was fastened in front under the chin. The military leaders wore a richly decorated onion-shaped helmet with a peak and an arrow.

For the first time, some regulation regarding military costume occurred in the second half of the 16th century. At this time, the first regular troops of archers appeared in Moscow. The archers were dressed in long, ankle-length caftans made of colored cloth. Each regiment had caftans of a certain color. They were with standing collars and fastened with colored buttonholes.

The headdress of the archers was a murmolka-type hat with fur trim. Their armament consisted of a saber, which was worn at the left hip on a belt belt, long-barreled samopal and berdysha- a sickle-shaped ax on a long shaft. Over the left shoulder, the archers wore a large leather belt - Berendeyka, to which the chargers were suspended. The costume of officers (“initial people”) was distinguished by a large number of buttonholes, a rich sash and gloves, and sometimes a fur collar. The officer's weapon was partisan- a spear on a long shaft.

With the formation of the Moscow state, a special personal guard of the tsar appeared in Russia - bells(under Vasily the Third) and honorary palace guards - tenants(under Ivan the Fourth). The clothes of the rynds were very elegant and spectacular. They were dressed in white velvet, satin or cloth with ermine trim and silver cord buttonholes. Sometimes, instead of a feryazi, a white terlik could be worn.

From the 17th century, a white standing trump collar embroidered with pearls could be seen from under the feryazi or terlik. The costume was complemented by white morocco boots, a white fox hat or a white murmolka with an ermine edge. Over the feryazi they put on two gold chains crossing on the chest, sometimes a precious belt. In the hands of the rynds were small axes.

Residents wore caftans or terliks ​​of various colors with trump cards. The headdress was golden murmolka-type hats with fur trim, shoes - colored boots. The weapons were protazany and sabers.