Until the 17th century, Russian artists usually created religious works: icons, fresco paintings, mosaics. But then the century witnessed the appearance of parsuna — secular portraits in the icon painting technique. They were created on wooden boards with tempera based on eggs. During Peter the Great’s reign, paintings in the European manner — oil on canvas — became popular in the Russian Empire.

The provincialists preferred traditional biblical scenes even in oil painting. Such works were not viewed as icon paintings but rather as historical and moralistic ones. Canvases depicting Noah and his sons were especially popular.

The painting from the museum’s collection is also dedicated to Noah and his children: Shem, Japheth and Ham. The subject of a picture refers to the biblical text: according to a legend, when Noah’s Ark came to rest near Mount Ararat, the holy man planted vineyards. One day he drank wine and fell asleep in his tent without clothes. His youngest son Ham saw his naked father and laughed at him,

When Noah woke up, he blessed older brothers and cursed Ham’s family line.

The painter placed the gray-haired elder Noah in the center of the composition. On the right are the faces of his sons Shem and Japheth. Apparently, they bow to the father, and he blesses them with the laying hand. Behind the elder stands his third son Ham — he did not get his parent’s blessing.

There are several canvases with a similar composition. Most likely, their creators copied some popular painting. It was probably an engraving of the Russian or South Russian origin but made according to the Western original.

The painting from the museum’s collection was created by an artist who did not have professional skills in oil painting. Most likely, he belonged to a group of icon painters and mastered a new technique independently. He used the icon painting principles of creating volumes: the figures are placed against a flat neutral background, which shows no depth, and the faces are simplified, similar to those traditionally depicted in icons. There are also inscriptions, which are, of course, obligatory for an icon painting, however, in this painting they seem out of place.