The craftsmen were Feofan the Greek, Prokhor the Elder from Gorodets, and the monk Andrei Rublev. The first mention of Rublev is made in a 1405 chronicle, in which it states that the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was decorated by a team of three craftsmen commissioned by Grand Duke Vasiliy Dmitrievich. Neither is there any information about his early works. We don’t know where Rublev learned iconography, or who his teacher was. The name Rublev probably derives from the verb rubit(to cut wood) or from the noun rubel, which can be either a long wooden pole or a tool used by tanners. Besides, 'Rublev” may be an indication of his forefathers' trade. Nevertheless, the very fact that he even had a surname is quite telling, because at the time, only members of the nobility or very wealthy people had surnames. Unfortunately, we know nothing about Rublev’s parents or his social background. It is amid that chaos that the future creator of the images of heavenly harmony was brought up. In 1378 the city was invaded by Lithuania’s Prince Algirdas, and there was a famine in 1371.

A large part of Moscow burned to the ground in the devastating fire of 1365. Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod had two epidemics of plague in 13. Meanwhile, the vassal Russian princes kept squabbling for power between themselves.

Those were dark times in Russia: The country was occupied by the Tatar invaders, who pillaged towns, churches and monasteries, and took people into slavery. The day of his death, however, is well known: it is January 29, 1430. He was born in the 1360s, but it is impossible to determine a more precise date. Piecing together Rublev’s lifeīut what do we really know about the iconographer's life as a man of faith? Biographical information about him is extremely scant researches have had to piece the story of his life together bit by tiny bit. Meanwhile, scientists have studied meticulously the collection of his icons and frescoes in the Tretyakov Gallery. There is a museum of medieval Russian art in Moscow named after Rublev. In 1960 UNESCO held international events to mark Rublev’s 600 th anniversary. That is why even in the 19 th century, when the art of iconography seemed to have been forgotten, the name of Rublev was still famous as the golden standard of ecclesiastical art.ĭuring the Soviet period, Rublev was a symbol of medieval Russian culture. His icons were valued by art collectors, who saw them as an embodiment of canonical iconography and ancient piety. The Russian Old Ritualists also thought very highly of Rublev’s work.

The Stoglav church synod of 1551 recognized his works as a standard to emulate. He was not forgotten after his death Rublev’s fame as Russia’s most eminent iconographer has survived through the centuries. Rublev’scustomers included princes and large monasteries, and he lived and worked in Moscow, Vladimir, and Zvenigorod. He gained fame and recognition while he was still among the living, and there are numerous mentions of him in historical chronicles. It is safe to say that fate was kind to Andrei Rublev. Rublev’s famous Trinity icon, 1411 or 1425-27

Andrei rublev iconographer apprentice