2009 Articles

Asian Motifs in Eighteenth-Century Siberian Church Architecture

Brumfield, William Craft

Russia's engagement with Asian peoples and cultures forms a topic whose boundaries have yet to be thoroughly explored, particularly in the relationship between Russian and Asian architecture. As an artifact demanding significant resources as well as building skills, architecture involves numerous factors related to social, economic, and cultural history. The present article will not attempt to give a detailed examination of this broader topic of Russo-Asian relations, but will point to specific instances, primarily in Siberian church architecture of the eighteenth century, that suggest a Russian receptivity to East Asian ornamentation. It is plausible that the growth of trade between Russia and East Asia (especially China) would have created the possibilities for borrowing in architecture, particularly of decorative motifs that could be disseminated in printed form.