The ceremony of coronation for the tsardom finished with a solemn banquet that was traditionally held in the Kremlin Faceted Chamber, constructed in the late 15th century under the rule of Ivan III after the design of Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro Antonio Solari. On the second floor of the building, there was arranged a ceremonial hall, magnificent and the biggest in the Old Rus of those times. Before the feasts, the chamber was smartly decorated. Expensive oriental carpets were laid on the floor, coloured cloth covered the benches, and precious tableware adorned the tables.
The key decoration of the chamber were the stands or buffets, one of which was called “the sovereign’s” and was placed around the central column. Its role was to show the opulence of the royal treasury. The shelves of the stand were occupied by various vessels – dishes, jugs, tankards, standing cups of the most intricate forms and sizes, made of gold, silver, crystal, jasper, carnelian, nacre, bone, coconut shells and ostrich eggs. Among them, there were the items of Russian work and those made in Western Europe and the East, brought by foreign ambassadors as a gift to Russian sovereigns. Enormous amounts of precious tableware both in the stand and on the table during the banquet amazed foreigners. Italian Raffaello Barberini, who was in Moscow in 1565 with a trading mission, wrote: “..in the very centre of the hall, there was a buffet with a large amount of different tableware, such as big silver-gilt and not gilt chalices and cups, large odd-looking basins, large and heavy goblets, some of which were flat and deep, others on legs, and, between them, there stood many cups similar to those we use”.
“In the Moscow Palace of the sovereign, there is so much silver and gold that it is almost impossible to count all the vessels,” remembers Hans Kobenzl, ambassador of Emperor Maximillian.
“An enormous stand was placed in the centre of the chamber, on which, at a significant height, there stood intricate tableware of gigantic size, craftily made in the form of various animals, birds and fish, without mentioning the great amount of usual dishware”, wrote the member of English embassy of 1604-1605 George Wilkins.
In the Faceted Chamber, the tsar's table and throne, to which several steps, upholstered in velvet, led, were placed on the elevation at the front corner under icons in precious cover. Sitting on the throne, the tsar wore ceremonial attire – a crown, shining with semi-precious stones, a rich robe with a regalia collar (barmy), pectoral cross and gold chain. On both sides of the throne, there stood ryndy – young men in expensive clothes holding axes on their shoulders.
The banquet table impressed guests with a great abundance of different food and drinks. The beloved in Old Rus meads were taken from precious ladles (kovsh) - the bright examples of national Russian tableware. Meads were brewed according to diverse recipes that amounted to several dozen. They were infused with fruits and berries, differing not only by taste but also by colour.
Vodka or “sovereign’s wine”, popular in Russia from ancient times, was served in silver jugs and then poured into wine cups (charka). Among the hotplates, the most admired on the tsar’s table, were fried swans, served on the gigantic silver-gilt dishes. The number of dishes sometimes amounted to five hundred and always a bit outran the number of guests, no matter how many of them there were at the table.
The tsar feast, demonstrating the monarch’s hospitality in full, developed the image of him as a kind and thoughtful host.
Lithograph “Feast in the Faceted Chamber”
From the book “Drawings from The Book of the Election to the Throne of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich”. Moscow: Synodal Printing-house; Lithography by V. Kudinov,1856. f. 34, ill. XVI; coloured by A.A. Potapov in 1898.
Paper; lithography, watercolour, gold and silver paint, Indian ink, pencil.
The lithograph features the royal feast that finished the coronation ceremony of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov. One can observe the interior of the Faceted Chamber, where in the depth of the hall by the eastern wall Mikhail Fyodorovich is sitting on the throne at a separate table. The tsar’s throne is placed on a stepped elevation under the icon case with icons. Along the walls, there are tables for the guests: on the right – for the clergy, on the left – for the noble. In the foreground, before the central pillar, which holds the vaults of the ancient hall of the Grand Prince’s Palace, there is a stand, traditionally adorned with gold and silver tableware and precious utensils, which embody the luxury of the court and the wealth of the Moscow sovereigns’ treasury.
Ladle of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1618. Gold, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls; forging, chasing, carving, niello.
In the 17th century, a special type of the ladle (kovsh) had developed in Moscow art. It was low, wide, with a flat bottom. The Ladle of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich is a vivid example of such a type.
These ladles together with regalia and other items of court ceremonial were kept in the so-called “Grand Treasury” which was an especially valued part of the tsar’s depositary. The ladles were used during solemn receptions in the Faceted Chamber – the ceremonial hall of the Palace, where they were placed as decoration on special tier-like stands. Sometimes meads were served in them to the most honoured guests. According to documents, in 1671, during the dinner in the Patriarch’s Cross Chamber, the patriarch was served the red mead in three “ornate ladles with pearls and stones“.
Loving Cups (Bratina)
Moscow, 1645–1676. Silver, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, tourmalines; chasing, niello, enamel, filigree, carving, gilding.
From ancient times in Russia, during the meals, the loving cups were raised to God’s glory, the Virgin’s honour, and the prince’s health. Such a ritual existed in monasteries and at courts of the monarchs and was followed by special songs, which texts were compiled according to the current tsardom.
In the 17th century, the loving cups were raised at the tsar’s table to glorify the Virgin, and to wish health to the patriarch, tsar, tsarina, princes and princesses. The loving cups were used on the days of church feasts, at the receptions of foreign embassies in the palace, and during ceremonial dinners on the occasion of marriage, birth or christening of royal children. “The grace cup” was also drunk from ladles and loving cups (bratina).
Two loving cups from the collection of the Armoury Chamber were used in such a manner. One of them has the niello inscription with the title of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich on its crown, which allows attributing it to the time of his rule. Another bratina, similar in décor and form to the previous one, has a carved inscription stating that it was used to serve “His Holiness Patriarch”.
Cup of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1628. Master Jacob Frick. Gold, rubies, emeralds, sapphires; chasing, enamel, carving, flat chasing.
The cups, as a certain type of tableware, were known in Old Rus long ago. For the first time, they were mentioned in the manuscripts of the 12th century. In the 16th–17th centuries, the silver cups of West European origin were frequently used at the court of Moscow sovereign. Such cups were also awarded for different merits. Besides, these fine vessels served as decoration of tier-like stands in the ceremonial halls of the royal palace.
The first cups of Russian craftsmanship appear in the 17th century. Among them is an elegant gold cup, which belonged to Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich according to the inscription along its edge. Its form resembles a church chalice. The archive documents gave an opportunity to define the author of this beautiful piece of art, it was master Jacob Frick, who had worked in the Golden Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
Dish of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1613–1645. Silver, sapphires, rubies, pearls; forging, chasing, carving, gilding.
Silver dishes were widely used in ceremonies at the Russian court in the 16th-17th centuries. During solemn celebrations, which included coronation of a tsar or weddings, precious items, used in the rituals, were delivered on such dishes. During royal banquets, that usually followed the official ceremonies, different meals were served on these dishes. This big dish with a carved image of a two-headed eagle in the centre is adorned with an inscription of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich’s title.
Small Cup(Charka) of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, first half of the 17th с. Rock crystal, gold, rubies, emeralds, tourmaline; chasing, carving, enamel.
In the 17th-century inventories of the Russian royal treasury, among gold and silver tableware, there are various vessels made of semi-precious stones, such as crystal, agate, carnelian, jasper, and serpentine.
Ancient documents also mention different samples of Russian national tableware made of stone, bone, and fine wood. A small cup (charka) made of transparent rock crystal and decorated with a gold frame and precious stones is a rare extant example of such type. The charka belonged to Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich, which is proved by the inscription along its edge.
Jug of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, 1645–1654. Silver; chasing, carving, casting, gilding.
During the reign of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great, the ties between Russia and European countries strengthened. The furniture of foreign production, all sorts of utensils, made by European masters, had become the custom. Russian traditional tableware gave place to the new forms.
The jug, which belonged to Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, brings together traits of European and Eastern tableware in a peculiar manner. Its form resembles German cylindrical mugs with a handle, while its nose is identical to the same detail of oriental vessels.
Beaker
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, the second half of the 17th с. Silver; chasing, carving, niello, gilding.
Tall, faucet-like beakers were used in Old Rus long ago. Starting from the 14th century, their images appear in the miniatures of manuscripts.
A bright example of analogous vessel is a silver beaker. Its niello body is decorated with carved ornament of long curved stems, which form cartouches – each one with engraved birds in different aspects.
Covered Cup of Tsar Peter Alexeevich
Moscow, Kremlin workshops, last quarter of the 17th с. Silver; chasing, niello, carving, gilding.
Among numerous samples of the Old Russian precious tableware that was used at royal banquets in the tsar’s palace, only several silver-covered cups have been preserved. The intended use of these cylindric low cups with lids is not known for sure. Wooden-covered cups were widely used in monasteries. There even existed a saying: “As many monks, so many cups”. The researchers think that silver-covered cups at the royal court were meant for dessert.
The inscription along the edge with the name and tsar title of Peter Alexeevich allows attributing it to 1682 when ten-year-old Peter was crowned together with his elder brother Ivan.
Standing Cup
London, 1605–1606. Monogrammist LB. Silver; chasing, casting, pouncing, gilding.
The standing cup is a representative sample of English silver smithery of the early 17th century. The cup and the lid are adorned with chased hop cones. The pyramidal finial of the lid is crowned with a moulded image of a dragon and the feet of the non-extant figure of St George.
From September 1645 till February 1646, the newly crowned Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich received courtiers, officials, and representatives of the big merchantry, cities and monasteries in the Gold Chamber of the Kremlin Palace, as well as in the villages Pokrovskoe and Kolomenskoe. According to the inscription on the standing cup, the abbot of the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir brought it as a gift to Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich on 29 September 1645. The artworks of English origin were at the time among rare presents.
Table decoration “Confectionery tree”
Hamburg, 1633–1644. Master Dieterich Thor Moye. Silver; chasing, casting, engraving, gilding.
“Confectionary tree” – is a rare table decoration of the 17th century, which has survived only in the Kremlin treasury. This unique art piece of famous Hamburg master Dieterich Thor Moye was brought as a gift to Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich from Queen Kristina in 1647. Since that time, the tree had always adorned tsars’ and emperors’ stands in the Faceted Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
The figures of four antique gods – Bacchus, sitting on the barrel with grapes and a jug in his hands, Venus with a flaming heart in a hand, Ceres with the horn of plenty and Cupid with a bow and an arrow – are the supporting structural features of the masterpiece.