The Mikhailovsky Palace

Several icons by Dionysius and his workshop belong to the Russian Museum. The Mother of God Hodigitria (1502–03) originated in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in the St Ferapont Monastery.

Aspirations towards dimension, ornamentation and resemblance to reality became more and more apparent in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The influence of Western originals (the Piscator Bible) was reflected in works of various schools.

A predilection for three-dimensional painting and the departure from the traditional red and yellow colour scheme were features of the works of Simon Ushakov (The Old Testament Trinity, 1671), an icon-painter of seventeenth century. He worked at the Moscow Armoury, first as a master of silver and then as an icon painter. The works of Simon Ushakov are noted for their depiction of dimension, following the example of the West European masters in his attempt to introduce a direct perspective into the representation.