Art woodcarving and iconostases of Chernihiv in the second half of the 17th – early 18th centuries

It has been found that the artistic treatment of wood and the carving of iconostases of Chernihiv during this period have not been specifically considered. The study of this field of art is of particular relevance. Drawing on the monuments of art and work of previous researchers, it is necessary to consider the creativity of the Chernihiv masters in their relations with artists of other cities and countries. Wood carving of that time was an important and quite wide area of art. The carvings were decorated with architectural structures, various things, objects of church use, vehicles, musical instruments, toys, forms for gingerbread and tile, boards for punching. A separate branch was the carving of iconostases of Chernihiv temples. To date, the vast majority of works have not been preserved and are known only by photographs. An important center of carving was formed in Chernihiv at that time. It was performed by «snitchists» who specialized in this work. They are not preserved for our day. Some of them are known only by photos. The iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Chernihiv Yelets Monastery of 1672–1676 continued in the compositions and iconography of the traditions of the previous centuries, which clearly appeared in the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra at the end of the 16th century. The composition and carvings combine the features of the Renaissance and the Baroque. It is close to a number of iconostases in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The carving of the royal gates from the Chernihiv Catherine Church and Trinity Cathedral testified to the predominance of Baroque features. The small iconostases of the Yakiv Temple of the Yelets Monastery and the Vvedenskaya Church of the Trinity-Elias Monastery in Chernihiv stood out in their individuality. Photographs preserved to this day also testify to the peculiarities of the baroque.