The fate of the Trinity will be decided by the restoration council

The head of the Department of Ancient Russian Art of the Tretyakov Gallery spoke about the journey of the icon to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and its consequences: “It was monstrous!”

The legendary “Trinity” by Andrei Rublev recently left the permanent exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery and went for another examination. Since the famous monument of ancient Russian art went on a three-day “tour” to Sergiev Posad to take part in the celebrations on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of finding the relics of Sergius of Radonezh, the icon has been under the close supervision of specialists. Travel exacerbated a number of chronic “illnesses” of the relics. After the restoration council in the fall, it was returned to the exposition. But every couple of months they are taken for inspection, and this is what happened now. What is happening with the “Trinity”, learned “MK”.

Recall that despite the protests of experts, the “Trinity” left the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery on July 16, and returned back on the 19th. At the end of May, the extended Restoration Council, which was attended by experts on ancient Russian art from various institutions, came to the conclusion that “even a short-term change in storage conditions (…) can have a catastrophic effect on the future condition of an ancient fragile monument.” After returning from the Lavra, the icon “rested” for several months in the restoration workshops. In September, a new expanded restoration council was held, where experts discussed the condition of the icon: after the trip, 61 sites with “significant changes” were discovered, of which five were recognized as emergency – in need of strengthening.

Apparently, the relevant work was carried out, because two months later the Trinity returned to the permanent exhibition, where it is exhibited in a special icon case with a temperature and humidity regime. Since then, the icon of the 15th century has left its “home” special showcase several times – for examination and prevention. Now it cannot be seen again in Lavrushinsky Lane. About what happened to the “Trinity” in the summer and how it is doing now, “MK” asked the head of the department of ancient Russian art of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Elena Saenkova.

“Now we are seeing Trinity. You see, ancient things can be stable, but then some chronic problems worsen. Trinity has a serious problem – the state of the boards, they are movable. The boards of the “Trinity” are connected with a cloth – canvas (pasted on the icon board before applying the gesso (ground) – M.M.). Sometimes we put on new shoes and run all day in them, and everything is wonderful. And the next day it turns out that his legs hurt. Same here. The Trinity somehow survived the trip. We, ten employees of the museum, were on duty at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra around the clock for three days. It was monstrous! We stood with instruments and monitored changes in temperature and humidity. One night, 40 wet people came running, they had some kind of marathon – they got caught in the rain. And there is a small space, from their wet clothes the humidity instantly changed. We closed the temple…

– Was the shop window in the Lavra still ordinary or special? Did it have any devices for regulating the temperature and humidity conditions?

This was just a normal display case. The special capsule can only be made in Germany or Italy.

– What is happening with the icon now and how is it planned to “treat” it further?

– Now “Trinity” is under research and restoration. In the near future, it is planned to hold a restoration council, which will bring together experts not only from the Tretyakov Gallery. There we will decide what to do next.