{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O157670"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O157670/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CC8163/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CC8163/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2009CC8163","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2595","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2614","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2596","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2600","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2613","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CP2626","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London/ © the Rosalinde & Arthur Gilbert Collection, on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London ","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O157670/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O157670","accessionNumber":"LOAN:GILBERT.97:1, 2-2008","objectType":"Altar gates","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Holy (altar) gates separate the congregation from the sanctuary which is only accessible to the higher clergy. In Christian Orthodox churches, altar gates are set within the iconostasis (a screen with icons or religious paintings).This example was made for the church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of Caves in Kyiv, a preeminent centre of Orthodox Christianity in eastern Europe since the 11th century. The inscription on the gates, referring to the reign of Tsarina Catherine II of Russia (1720-96), created confusion as it was assumed that those gates had been commissioned by the tsarina herself. This commission would have coincided with her stay at the monastery in 1784, before travelling to Crimea which had just been annexed to her Russian empire. Instead, these gates were commisioned by the Monastery’s Spiritual Council to  master silversmith Hryhorii Chyzhevskyi alongside a number of other objects including a silver throne, a chalice, a star and a diskos (paten or small plate) for the same church. Chyzhevskyi was commended by the monastery for his ‘extraordinary skills’. \r\n\r\nIn the 1930s, the Soviet authorities had removed the gates and sold them as part of their organised trade of art and antiquities with Europe and America to support their economy.  In the process, the Holy gates were mistakenly attributed as Russian and their provenance became confused. The gates are among the finest, perhaps only, examples outside of Ukraine and the former Russian Empire.\r\n\r\nThis magnificent pair of gates was acquired, together with another pair (LOAN:GILBERT.94-2008) by Arthur Gilbert at the start of his collecting career, and formed part of the Monumental Silver exhibition held at LACMA in 1973. \r\n\r\nSir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. \n\nWe are grateful to our colleagues from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve for their collaboration in cataloguing this object. \r\n","physicalDescription":"Formed as a pair of long vertical doors, hinged at the sides and opening outward. They are composed of four sections, each individually hand raised (embossed) from one single sheet of silver including their medallions, then pierced, and chased on the frontThe upper medallion panel on the left gate represents the Annunciation and on the right the Entry of Christ into Jerusalem; those below represent the evangelists Matthew (centre left), John (centre right), Mark (lower left), and Luke (lower right). Each medallion is contained within a scroll, flower and shellwork cartouche. The upper border of each door is of irregular scroll profile, rising towards the centre. The central column is attached to the right door and is of nearly semicircular section, with pierced scrolls and flowers applied to the upper and lower ends and the centre; a spiral pattern of flowers is embossed along its length; it also features an oval medallion of Christ as the Great Bishop. Both sides include motifs of flowers, scrolls and birds. Rosettes are applied at intervals to the plain side borders of the gates. The lower border of each door is flat-chased with a presentation incsription  in Old Church Slavonic.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Chyzhevskyi, Hryhorii","id":"AUTH410390"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"x40240"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"},{"text":"iron","id":"AAT11002"},{"text":"silver-gilt","id":"x37998"}],"techniques":[{"text":"embossing","id":"AAT53826"},{"text":"piercing","id":"AAT231153"},{"text":"parcel gilding","id":"AAT233409"},{"text":"moulding","id":"AAT53134"},{"text":"chasing","id":"AAT54016"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Embossed, pierced, chased partially gilded silver (parcel-gilt) and iron","categories":[{"text":"Architectural fittings","id":"THES48994"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2009CC8163","2009CP2595","2009CP2614","2009CP2596","2009CP2600","2009CP2613","2009CP2626"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"71A","id":"THES413997"},"free":"","case":"CA011","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"71A","id":"THES413997"},"free":"","case":"CA011","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"gate","id":""}],[{"text":"gate","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Kyiv (city)","id":"x34596"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1784","earliest":"1784-01-01","latest":"1784-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"232.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"102.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"Inscribed weight (in Cyrillic script): 2 pounds, 6 lots (32,838 [1,055 oz., 18 dwt.])"},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"","value":"","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Presentation inscription in old cyrillic:\nThese gates in the Church of the Nativity of the Mother of God were made during the reign of the very Orthodox Sovereign Empress Ekaterina Alexeievna and her heir the Orthodox Sovereign Tsesarevich Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and his spouse the Orthodox Lady Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna and the Orthodox Lords Grand Dukes Alexander Pavlovich and Konstantin Pavlovich and the Orthodox Lady Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna, with the blessings of the Lord Archimandrite Father Zosim Valkevich of the Pechersk Lavra of Kyiv (Kiev) and with the dedicated effort of the Keeper of the same Pechera, the Elder of the Cathedral, Hieromonach Vitalii, 1784, the eleventh day of March. The weight in silver [is] two pouds [sic], six lots. Sixty-Six foreign chervonets [gold pieces of Dutch, Italian, or Austrian origin] were used for gilding.","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"\n\n\r\n","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Provenance: \nChurch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv. \r\nMoved into Monastery’s new Museum Repository in 1926.\r\nSold by the Goldschmidt Galleries, Berlin to William Randolph Hearst Sr, San Simeon, California. In the Hearst collection from 4th November 1935 until 7th December 1960. \r\nSold by London dealers Ruby Black and S.J. Phillips to Francis Stonor, London, 1962. Held in his collection until May 1972. \r\nAcquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1972.\r\n\r\nJ & S Goldschmidt were a dynasty of Jewish art dealers. They enjoyed an outstanding international reputation and had even counted the Russian imperial family among their clients. In 1937, as part of a wider campaign to eliminate Jewish people from the art trade, the Reich Culture Chamber gave the company's directors, Julius and Arthur Goldschmidt, two months notice to give up their branches in Frankfurt and Berlin. By that time, they had already left Nazi Germany. Julius went to London, from where these gates were sold. Arthur immigrated to France, and eventually he and his wife escaped to Cuba.\r\n\r\nThis object formed part of the V&A's special provenance display 'Concealed Histories: Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' (December 2019 - June 2021)","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Pair of Holy (altar) parcel-gilt gates, iron backing, Kyiv, Hryhorii Chyzhevskyi, 1784.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Mislavskii, Samuil. <u>Kratkoe istoricheekoe opisanie Kievo-Pecherskoi Lavry</u> (Brief historical description of the Kyiv (Kiev) Pechersk Monastery). Kyiv (Tipografia Akademii Kievskoi) 1975, p. 45."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Bolkhovitinov, Evgenii. <u>Opisanie Kievo-Pecherskoi Lavry s prisovokupleniem raznykh grammat...</u> (Description of the Kyiv, Pechersk Monastery including various offical documents...) Kyiv (Tipografia Kievo-Pecherskoi Lavry) 1826, p. 71."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Henderson, Ebenezer. <u>Biblical Researches and Travels in Russia, including a Tour in the Crimea</u>. London: J. Nisbet, 1826, p. 181."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"'Cathedral Gates in Silver Gilt Given by Catherine the Great'. <u>The Antique Collector</u>, vol. 32, April 1961,  pp. 66-67."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Petrenko, Marko Z. <u>Ukrainske zolotarstvo XVI-XVIII st.</u> (Ukranian goldsmithing, sixteenth to eighteenth centuries). Kyiv (Naukovo Dumka) 1969, pp. 41, 139, 193."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Hayward, J.F. (John Forrest). <u>Virtuoso goldsmiths and the triumph of Mannerism, 1540-1620</u>.  [London]: Sotheby Parke Bernet Publications, 1976; New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1976, pp. 117, pl. A, 121."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Schroder, Timothy. <u>The Gilbert collection of gold and silver</u>. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no. 166, pp. 608-612.  ISBN.0875871445"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Schroder, Timothy, ed. <u>The Gilbert Collection at the V&A</u>. London (V&A Publishing) 2009, p.18, pl. 8. ISBN9781851775934"},{"reference":{"text":"Jones, William Ezelle, <i>Monumental Silver: Selections from the Gilbert Collection</i>. Los Angeles : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977","id":"AUTH354722"},"details":"no.43","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Donahue, Kenneth, <i>A Decade of Collecting: 1965-1975</i>, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1975.","id":"AUTH348428"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Minter, Alice et al. <u>Masterpieces in Miniature: Treasures from the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection.</u> London: V&A Publishing, 2021, p.22, cat. 5"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230606004515/https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/museum-life/concealed-histories-uncovering-the-story-of-nazi-looting"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"Associated literature","free":"Odom, Anne, <i>Treasures into Tractors: The Selling of Russia's Cultural Heritage, 1918-1938</i>, (Washington, Hillwood Museum 2009)"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Minter, Alice. 'Gates from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra: A Case Study of Curatorial Practice at the V&A', <i>Supporting Decolonisation: Focus on Ukraine</i>, Ukrainian Institute, ICOM UK, ICOM Ukraine, Museums Association and British Council (2025), p.16-19."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[{"text":"","id":""}],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[{"text":"","id":""}],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.97:2-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.97:1-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"97","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"SG 42AB"},{"type":{"text":"LACMA","id":"THES57415"},"number":"M.77.1.8"},{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"SG 322"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1999.25"},{"type":{"text":"William Randolph Hearst, San Simeon Inventory Number","id":"THES412837"},"number":"SSW.10197-10200"},{"type":{"text":"Soviet Repository Inventory Number","id":"THES412850"},"number":"IH.7054"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","gate [1]","gate [2]"],"assets":["2017JU8452","2019LU3477","2019LT7968","2019LW7894","2019LW7056"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-01","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-26","availableToBook":false}}