“Was founded this icon in remembrance of God’s goodness”. The Family icon of the Kaluga nobles Piramidovs

The article deals with the history of the creation, iconography, and style of a family icon of the Piramidovs nobles from Kaluga. According to the inscription on its back the reason for ordering was Olga Piramidova’s satisfaction at the court claim. That event took place at the end of 1800. Based on historical evidence the litigation can be associated with the “Pyramidovs’ case”. The iconographic program of the monument is typical for the noble taste: the patronal saints of the family members are depicted with dialogical express in their figures. The images of St. Luke and St. Philip reflect the memorial character of the icon, since their ecclesiastical commemoration coincided with beginning and the end of the court case. Careful analysis of those and other details helps to understand the principles of identity formation scenarios and memory strategies among the Russian provincial nobility. Thanks to precise dating and a confirmed connection to a noble family permanently residing in Kaluga province, the icon becomes an important point of reference in determining the distinctive stylistic features of certain Kaluga icons. Through a series of analogies, a stylistically unified group is formed, oriented towards samples of late Moscow Baroque and associated with the aesthetic preferences of the nobility.

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