Larionov, Samson

The first information about Samson Larionov dates back to 1704, when he took a gold sample from the Armory for the “craftsmanship”. In the years 1706-1710 he actively worked for Princess Natalia Alekseevna . In September 1710, Larionov was sent to St. Petersburg along with Mikhail Matveev ^[1] . In St. Petersburg, he continues to fulfill the orders of the princess until her death in 1716.

In January 1720, by decree of Tsarina Ekaterina Alekseevna, the annual salary of S. Larionov increased from 50 to 80 rubles ^[2] .

In 1723, the coronation commission instructed him to make the first Russian imperial crown for the Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna , whose coronation took place on May 7, 1724. Under his leadership, 10 masters create it ^[3] . In the fall of 1727, he makes the crown of Peter II ^[4] . In the spring of 1730, in Moscow, along with goldsmiths, master Nikita Milyukov and several other Moscow masters, Larionov created two crowns for Anna Ioannovna : the Great Imperial (for coronation ), and the Small (for other ceremonies) ^[5] . His career, successfully continues in the reign of Anna Ioannovna . In 1731 he was listed in the "state" with a salary of 120 rubles ^[6] .

On September 16, 1737, according to a personal decree of the Empress, the master was allocated 100 rubles “for the construction of the courtyard in St. Petersburg,” which was to be located not far from the Winter Palace, up the Neva ^[7] . It is known that the “court golden workshop” of Samson Larionov in 1740 was located in the old Winter Palace , “in the lower apartment”, occupying two chambers with a furnace ^[7] . In January 1741, the ruler Anna Leopoldovna approved the staff of the Chamber-Tsalmeister office, which included five goldsmiths. Among them was Samson Larionov with the same salary of 120 rubles ^[8] . From a recently found document, it became known that in the summer of 1742 Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered a “prize” of 100 rubles to be awarded to S. Larionov for his participation in creating the crown for her coronation. However, since Larionov died on May 18, 1742 (as indicated in the document), this money was received by his widow Matrena Vasilievna ^[9] .

In 1719, together with the master, Mikhail Osipov, Samson Larionov performed for Tsarina Ekaterina Alekseevna “a large yachton belt with diamonds” ^[2] . In the same year, he made two rings "to the great man the Frenchman Nicholas Bourgeois" (the famous Giant Bourgeois) ^[2] . Also for her, he pounded two silver glasses, of which the queen “deigns to eat half a drink” and six “cups of vodka” ^[10] . In 1724, he creates an episcopal miter, studded with precious stones with a diamond cross, commissioned by the Novgorod bishop Theodosius Yanovsky . According to the researcher L.K. Kuznetsova, S. Larionov made a whistle-cellar ( Gokhran Diamond Fund exhibition ) for the heir to the throne, John VI Antonovich , commissioned by his mother Anna Leopoldovna . And to celebrate the day of the holy martyrs Photius and Anikita (the patron saints of the little emperor), Samson Larionov and “his comrade Belsky” were given their icon to make diamond crosses and crowns, and later to decorate 266 diamonds with a corolla in the image of Our Lady of Virginia and make a cross “made of pure gold "For the Grand Duchess Catherine Antonovna ^[8] . From archival documents it is known that Samson Larionov headed the creation of coronation crowns: the crown of Catherine I (1723-1724), the crown of Emperor Peter II (1727), the Big and Small Crowns of Anna Ioannovna (1730), and also participated in the production of the Great Crown of Elizabeth Petrovna (1742) ^[6] .

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• Kuznetsova L.K. Petersburg jewelers. The eighteenth century, the diamond ... St. Petersburg., 2009.
• Bykova Yu. I. On the issue of authorship of the coronation regalia of the Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in persons - 2013. On the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613–2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - SPb., 2013 .-- S. 102-114.
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• Bykova Yu. I. The court jeweler Samson Larionov and the imperial crowns of the first half of the 18th century // Materials and Studies / Federal State Budgetary Institution “State. source cult. Moscow Kremlin Museum. ” Vol. 27. - M., 2016.S. 195-221.
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