In the latest of our archive recordings to be unearthed, we have here a 1969 lecture from the not-yet-29-year-old John Innes Stuart (1940-2003) - a renowned expert on Russian icons and historian of British biker culture. A remarkable character, Johnny was born in Aberdeen, educated at Eton, and was working as a porter at Sotheby’s auctioneers when his extensive knowledge of Russian icons was found to be greater than any of their experts. A convert at the age of 18 to Russian Orthodoxy, he went on to establish the Russian department at Sotheby’s in 1976, as well as his own consultancy with Ivan Samarine in 1995.

Originally titled ‘Some aspects of collecting, restoring and studying icons, 1830-1917’, this lecture gives an extensive history of the study and appreciation of Russian icons - from their creation and then literal concealment (by soot and the ornate silver okladki that covered them), to their appraisal as objects of academic interest, and of art in their own right.

This episode was recorded on 9th May, 1969 at Pushkin House in Ladbroke Grove. The recording was catalogued and digitised by Anastasia Koro and Andrey Levitskiy, and was edited and produced for Pushkin House by Rafy Hay.