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Exquisite Russian Icon Embroidery art

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Icon of the Most Holy Trinity. Exquisite Russian Icon Embroidery art

Detail of Icon of the Most Holy Trinity. Workshop of Natalia Gorkovenko ‘Prikosnovenie’ (touch). Moscow, Russia. Exquisite Russian Icon Embroidery art

Exquisite Russian Icon Embroidery art
Icon of the Most Holy Trinity. Sapphire blue and white, beryl, blue topaz, green and pink tourmaline, citrine, garnet, quartz, rock crystal, Aventurine, coral, gold plated beads, silver. 720 hours of manual work.
Art workshop by Natalia Gorkovenko “Prikosnovenie” (Eng. “touch”) one of the first in modern Russia became involved in a noble cause – the revival of the art of embroidery of icons with beads, pearls and precious stones. These icons evoke admiration and great interest not only among church people, but for all who cherish Russian culture, people of art and collectors. Among the works of the workshop “Touch” you can select the icon of the Savior, Mary, the icon of the Saints. These icons have been in the US, Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic and Russia. Works by masters of the studio find their place in many churches. In the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, you can see the icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God.

Icon of the Most Holy Trinity. Embroidery Art by Natalia Gorkovenko. Moscow, Russia

Holy Trinity icon. Embroidery Art by Natalia Gorkovenko. Moscow, Russia

Workshop organizes and holds exhibitions of their works. one of these exhibitions In 2012, at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was a great success. It was carried out with the blessing of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, with the support of the Patriarchal Council for Culture. For the first time in Russian history, more than 40 sacred images were presented as objects of modern art. Soon, similar exhibitions to be held in Lugano (Switzerland) and Paris.

Art workshop by Natalia Gorkovenko collaborates with the Fashion House «NATALIA VALEVSKAYA» and has more than five years of experience in the creation of embroidered icons. Having started fifteen years ago from manufacturing secular handicrafts – bead sewing, decorative embroidery, Natalia gradually came to the fact that the icon is the highest and the most difficult form of creativity. After receiving a blessing from a priest, she started sewing icons.

The iconic image, as opposed to secular, requires not only a craft, but the full dedication, and, first of all, your soul. The beauty of the heavenly world, the spiritual height of Christ images, the Virgin, the saints oblige the artist match the height of the problem, clear of worldly vanity. Not by chance, the ancient masters created icons after fasting and prayer. But the fruit of the work – different: creating sacred images, the master himself is filled with light, growing spiritually.

But how to depict something that has no similarity on the Earth? How, with earthly means to express the beauty of the next century? Apostle Paul says about the kingdom of heaven: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2: 9). And the other apostles of Christ, John the Evangelist, describes Jerusalem as a city adorned with gold and glass, precious stones and pearls. That is how artists since ancient times have tried to portray the kingdom of heaven. Artists paint in gold paint, obtained with the grinding of precious minerals, mosaicists used gold and colored smalt and natural stones, embroiderers together with silk threads used silver and gold, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones.

Exquisite Russian Icon Embroidery art

Fragment of Icon Virgin and child

Fragment of Icon Virgin and child

The team of artists under the direction of Natalia Krasnoslavovna Gorkovenko also seek to create icons, which reveal, above all, a heavenly beauty, blooming paradise. Each image created by these artists is unique. Masters try to think of everything – faces, apparel, background, ornaments, consider the symbolism of stones – to create a coherent impression. So in Tikhvin Icon of Our Lady dominates white (pearl vestments, lace crown) along with blue background, creates the effect of the aurora, a border decorated with an image of the Holy vines, symbolizing the blood of Christ, the Eucharist. Different shades of red in Semistrelnaya icon recall the sacrifice and suffering of Our Lady, a Serafimo- Diveevskaya icon, on the contrary, made in light colors, soothing the soul.

Natalia Gorkovenko, remembering that to God should be brought the best, has never used in the decoration of icons plastic, surrogates, but only natural materials: Pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, crystal, etc. Sometimes stones of a needed color can be searched for months. Also, carefully chosen fabrics, threads, and so on. Most shops engaged in sewing, as a rule, don’t embroider faces, but paint them. In icons by Natalia Gorkovenko faces are also embroidered, in particular the mosaic technique, the smallest Japanese beads.

Hand embroidered icon, detail Angel

Hand embroidered icon, detail Angel

Angel icon. Natalia Gorkovenko workshop ‘Prikosnovenie’. Icon embroidery

Angel icon. Natalia Gorkovenko workshop ‘Prikosnovenie’. Icon embroidery

Angel, detail of icon

Angel, detail of icon

Peark embroidered, detail of embroidered Icon

Angel, detail of icon

Elder Spyridon of Trimyphunteia icon. Moscow workshop of Icon Embroidery

Elder Spyridon of Trimyphunteia icon. Moscow workshop of Icon Embroidery

Closeup Icon of the Most Holy Trinity

Closeup Icon of the Most Holy Trinity

Embroidered with precious stones icon. Art workshop ‘Prikosnovenie’ (touch)

Embroidered with precious stones icon. Art workshop ‘Prikosnovenie’ (touch)

Jesus Icon Embroidered with precious stones. Art workshop by Natalia Gorkovenko

Jesus Icon Embroidered with precious stones. Art workshop by Natalia Gorkovenko

Virgin and child icon

Virgin and child icon

The blessed mother Mary. Manualy Embroidered with precious stones icon

The blessed mother Mary. Manualy Embroidered with precious stones icon

Matrona of Moscow. Stunning Icon Embroidery by Natalia Gorkovenko

Matrona of Moscow. Stunning Icon Embroidery by Natalia Gorkovenko

Blessed Matrona of Moscow. detail of icon embroidey with precious stones

Blessed Matrona of Moscow. detail of icon embroidey with precious stones

Icon of the Most Holy Trinity. Embroidery Art by Natalia Gorkovenko. Moscow, Russia

Saint Spyridon icon, detail

Saint Spyridon icon, detail

Saint Olga Blessed Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Saint Olga Blessed Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Hodegetria Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Hodegetria Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Virgin Hodegetria, detail of icon

Virgin Hodegetria, detail of icon

Mary and child icon Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Mary and child icon Icon Embroidered with precious stones

The blessed mother Mary, detail of Icon Embroidery

The blessed mother Mary, detail of Icon Embroidery

Archangel Gabriel Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Archangel Gabriel Icon Embroidered with precious stones

Jesus Christ. Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Jesus Christ. Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Christ Icon detail

Christ Icon detail

Smolensk Icon of Virgin and child. Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Smolensk Icon of Virgin and child. Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Detail of Smolensk icon

Detail of Smolensk icon

Archangel Michael Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Archangel Michael Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Michael archangel Icon Embroidered with precious stones, closeup

Michael archangel Icon Embroidered with precious stones, closeup

Mother and child Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

Mother and child Icon Embroidery art by Natalia Gorkovenko

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