The history of the study of old Russian monumental paintings by scientific methods at the State Research Institute for Restoration

This article gives an overview of the 50-year history of the study of Old Russian monumental paintings in the laboratory of physicochemical research at the State Research Institute for Restoration. It covers mural paintings dated from the 12-th to the 18-th centuries in buildings of federal importance and those included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, such as the St Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, the Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery, the Church of the Nicholas Nadein in Yaroslavl, as well as other temples, both survived and lost in the areas of Novgorod, Kalyazin, Rostov, Yaroslavl, and Moscow. The article also presents some research results captured in unpublished reports of the laboratory. This was achieved by the specialists of the State Research Institute for Restoration, with special recognition of Yu. I. Grenberg, the founding father of this area of research, namely the use of scientific methods in the study of Old Russian wall murals. In addition, the article draws attention to the idea that source studies and art history research along with stylistic observations have been and still are essential complements to the identification of materials and techniques.