The “Holy Guardian Angel” icon was donated to the museum by its creator Nina Lokhtacheva, a Kosikha native. The icon was made specifically for the opening of the Robert Rozhdestvensky Memorial Museum and the 80th anniversary of the poet’s birth in 2012.
Guardian angel is a spiritual guide and protector of the faithful. It is customary to turn to them in any situation in life. Therefore, this Orthodox tradition means that these icons should be present in every home. The guardian angel is usually depicted as a handsome young man with a sword and a cross in his hands. The cross is the sign of faithfulness to Jesus Christ and his commandments, whereas the sword symbolizes the battle that the angel has to fight in order to protect people. Lokhtacheva also uses these canonical symbols.
Nina Vladimirovna is a Merited Worker of Arts of Russia. In 1990, with her husband, sculptor Alexander Lokhtachev, she established the “LIK” Decorative Applied Arts Workshop in the city of Zlatoust. It operates as a modern art center and specializes in metalworking (manufacturing of icons, edged weapons, tableware, church utensils, and sculptures).
The masters of their workshop use steel, gold, silver, bronze, brass, and other metals. To create the icon, displayed in the museum, first, a drawing was applied to the surface with a brush, and then the engraving was done with a steel needle. The artist also used silvering, gilding, and niello artistic treatment techniques, which allow to make it more expressive.
Nowadays, people believe the “LIK” workshop to be a calling card of the city of Zlatoust. 120 artists, engravers, and sculptors, including the entire Lokhtachev family (Nina and Alexander, and their two sons) work at the workshop. Nina Vladimirovna, as the chief artist, decorates the finished objects and takes part in initial sketching with her husband. In 2012, the year of the 80th anniversary of Robert Rozhdestvensky, she opened an exhibition of decorative items manufactured by the Zlatoust masters. The exhibition was first held in Kosikha, the poet’s birthplace, and then at the State Museum of the History of Literature, Art, and Culture of Altai.
Guardian angel is a spiritual guide and protector of the faithful. It is customary to turn to them in any situation in life. Therefore, this Orthodox tradition means that these icons should be present in every home. The guardian angel is usually depicted as a handsome young man with a sword and a cross in his hands. The cross is the sign of faithfulness to Jesus Christ and his commandments, whereas the sword symbolizes the battle that the angel has to fight in order to protect people. Lokhtacheva also uses these canonical symbols.
Nina Vladimirovna is a Merited Worker of Arts of Russia. In 1990, with her husband, sculptor Alexander Lokhtachev, she established the “LIK” Decorative Applied Arts Workshop in the city of Zlatoust. It operates as a modern art center and specializes in metalworking (manufacturing of icons, edged weapons, tableware, church utensils, and sculptures).
The masters of their workshop use steel, gold, silver, bronze, brass, and other metals. To create the icon, displayed in the museum, first, a drawing was applied to the surface with a brush, and then the engraving was done with a steel needle. The artist also used silvering, gilding, and niello artistic treatment techniques, which allow to make it more expressive.
Nowadays, people believe the “LIK” workshop to be a calling card of the city of Zlatoust. 120 artists, engravers, and sculptors, including the entire Lokhtachev family (Nina and Alexander, and their two sons) work at the workshop. Nina Vladimirovna, as the chief artist, decorates the finished objects and takes part in initial sketching with her husband. In 2012, the year of the 80th anniversary of Robert Rozhdestvensky, she opened an exhibition of decorative items manufactured by the Zlatoust masters. The exhibition was first held in Kosikha, the poet’s birthplace, and then at the State Museum of the History of Literature, Art, and Culture of Altai.
