The “Nikola Velikoretsky” veil from the Trinity Cathedral in Pskov: an attempt at a new attribution

A new attribution for the donor of the 'Nikola Velikoretsky' veil from Pskov's Trinity Cathedral, dated 1555/56, challenges the long-held hypothesis involving Princess Shuiskaya. Through epigraphic and prosopographical analysis, this study identifies the donor, refining the provenance and chronology of the veil while revising the history of a family connected to the grand-princely house. The iconography of St Nicholas on the veil reveals an original synthesis combining features of the 'Mozhaisky' and 'Zaraysky' types, suggesting it may have been produced before the widespread replication of the 'Velikoretsky' icon. This finding sheds light on the early stages of the cult's formation and offers directions for further research into the artistic and technical characteristics of similar embroidery.

Litvina, A. F., Titov, G. V., Uspenskij, F. B.,. (2025). The “Nikola Velikoretsky” veil from the Trinity Cathedral in Pskov: an attempt at a new attribution. Bulletin of the Russian Medieval Art Department, (2), 62–97. https://doi.org/10.51678/2658-543x-2025-2-62-97