Show all images on one page	#001912 Title: Vladimir The Duke Artist: Molodkin Nikolay Size: 24.5x18.5x4.5 Size (inches): 9.75x7.25x1.75 Price : $950 SOLD!

This grandiose work has been painted by Nikolay Molodkin. He is the youngest in the family of renowned Mstera artists. His father, Vladimir Molodkin, has made a big name for himself, not only in Mstera, but in all of Russia. His brothers, Denis and Daniil, are also the talented and very popular artists. This work proves that soon Nikolay Molodkin's name will be as recognizable as the names of his prominent relatives.
The work is called "Prince Vladimir", and features the most honorable saint in Russia, Prince Vladimir, who officially baptized Russia in 988. But many historical sources announce that Christianity came to Russia before this date. The Church tradition holds that the Holy Apostle Andrew traveled to the lands which later became Russia and preached there. Definitely, there were already many Christians in the time of Prince Vladimir. His own grandmother Princess Olga was Christian. However, the majority of Russians were pagans.
The chronicle says that before Prince Vladimir decided to adopt Christianity, he considered other faiths. Muslims came to him, but he did not like Islam. Also Jews from a neighboring Khazaria came to him to advocate Judaism. He asked them: "Where is your land?". And they replied: "In Jerusalem". The Prince asked in doubt: "Is it really so?" And they replied: "We possessed Jerusalem, but God took it from us for our sins" The Prince then got angry and said: "Do you wish the same for us?" and cast them away. It should be noted that Vladimir also refused to accept Latin missionaries of the German origin. Vladimir chose to take the Christianity from the Greeks. His envoys sent to Konstantinople told him about the beauty of the service in Hagia Sophia: "We did not know if we were on earth or in heaven". Vladimir received the holy baptism himself and ordered all the people of Russia to be baptized, which actually took place everywhere starting from Kiev.
The immediate impact of the baptism was enormous, both for Vladimir and for the whole country. Before the baptism Vladimir was known to be very belligerent, cruel to his enemies and very attached to sexual pleasures. Baptism changed him completely. He took the Christian teaching very seriously. One small detail: after the baptism he decided to abandon the death punishment in his land, which was something non heard-of at those times. People's memory preserved St. Vladimir as a loving father of his people, as "Vladimir the Red Sun".
In the middle of the composition there is Prince Vladimir. Behind his back we can see the town of Kiev, which is the capital of ancient Rus. In the left bottom corner Prince Vladimir baptizes the Russians. In the left upper corner the former pagans destroy the idols by the order Prince Vladimir. A little below Prince Vladimir, together with his army, sails to Greece to adopt Christianity. Just in front of this scene, in the right part of the composition we can see Prince Vladimir's grandmother, Princess Olga, who also sails to Constantinople to adopt Christianity. In the right upper corner Prince Vladimir at the head of his army battles against the enemy, and in the bottom right corner the story teller plays his gusli and sings song about ancient times and its heroes.
The palette consists of yellow and blue tones. The style repeats the unique painting style of Vladimir Molodkin. The brushwork is exquisite, which is enhanced by the bright gold detailing the artist adds. This piece shows that geometrical, artistic, and technical exploitation, when in perfect harmony can yield tremendous results.
The box is constructed from paper-mache. Black lacquer is used to paint the exterior of the piece while a brilliant red lacquer completes the interior of the box. The edges of the lid and the box's sides are decorated with gold floral patterns. A hinge is fastened to the top of the composition for ease of opening. The box rests on four feet. The work is signed, titled and dated (2005) by the artist.