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PH1738
Photographs: PH1738
Title
Vasily Vasilyevich Luzhsky as Ivan Shuisky
Subject
Date
1898
Dimensions
height: 14cm
width: 8.5cm
width: 8.5cm
Provenance
Presented by Michael Gaunt, September 2023.
Other number
E0146
This postcard depicts Vasily Vasilyevich Luzhsky in the role of Ivan Shuisky in Aleksey Tolstoy's play 'Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich'.
Luzhsky was an early member of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT), which was formed in 1898. The actor Konstantin Stanislavski and his co-founder, the writer and drama teacher, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, wanted to break away from the state-run theatres, bring back high standards and professionalism in acting, and strive towards emotional truth and realism in their performances. Aleksey Tolstoy wrote ‘Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich' in 1868, the second of a historical trilogy that begins with 'The Death of Ivan the Terrible' (1866) and concludes with 'Tsar Boris' (1870). ‘Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich' was the inaugural performance by the newly formed Moscow Art Theatre on 14 October 1898 and the first of two plays by Tolstoy that the company produced.
The play dramatises the story of Tsar Fyodor I of Russia (1557-1598), son of Ivan the Terrible.
Luzhsky is shown full-length and seated, in a traditional costume typical of 16th and 17th century Russian high nobility; he wears a sumptuous brocade robe and a similarly elaborate coat with fur trim called a ‘shuby’, as well as a large medallion round his neck and a high pearl-encrusted collar.
Stanislavski undertook a vast amount of research to ensure that the sets and costumes were authentic and based on historic Russian architecture and clothing.
Luzhsky was an early member of the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT), which was formed in 1898. The actor Konstantin Stanislavski and his co-founder, the writer and drama teacher, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, wanted to break away from the state-run theatres, bring back high standards and professionalism in acting, and strive towards emotional truth and realism in their performances. Aleksey Tolstoy wrote ‘Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich' in 1868, the second of a historical trilogy that begins with 'The Death of Ivan the Terrible' (1866) and concludes with 'Tsar Boris' (1870). ‘Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich' was the inaugural performance by the newly formed Moscow Art Theatre on 14 October 1898 and the first of two plays by Tolstoy that the company produced.
The play dramatises the story of Tsar Fyodor I of Russia (1557-1598), son of Ivan the Terrible.
Luzhsky is shown full-length and seated, in a traditional costume typical of 16th and 17th century Russian high nobility; he wears a sumptuous brocade robe and a similarly elaborate coat with fur trim called a ‘shuby’, as well as a large medallion round his neck and a high pearl-encrusted collar.
Stanislavski undertook a vast amount of research to ensure that the sets and costumes were authentic and based on historic Russian architecture and clothing.
