Сердоликовая крабица московских князей XIV–XVI вв. как царская инсигния
«Serdolikovaja krabitsa» of Muscovite Princes of XIV–XVIth centuries as a royal insignia

Summary/Abstract: The paper is devoted to the royal insignia mentioned in the Russian literary texts and folklore of 16–17th centuries – the cornelian box («serdolikovaja krabitsa»). According to the legend, it belonged to the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus and, together with other imperial insignia was ceremonially presented to the Kiev Knyaz Vladimir Monomakh in 12th century by the Byzantine Emperor. The cornelian box («serdolikovaja krabitsa») has not reached the present time. The research literature contains a disagreement on the characteristics of this object. Some researchers regard the box as a jewel box, others – as a bowl. The paper offers arguments in faviour of the first suggestion. The history gives facts about the «serdolikova krabitsa» or a box (in this way it was called in early sources), from the moment of its arrival to the treasury of Ivan Kalita at the beginning of 14th century to the act of its presentation in 1498 to Dmitri-the grandson by Ivan III and further loss of it. «Krabitsa» was included into the category of imperial insignia in the Epistle by the Lithuanian Metropolitan Spiridon Savva. It was presupposed that the Epistle was written in late XV or early XVI century, but was widespread after editorial refinement in the 1520s. The history of the Epistle text is connected with the biography of an outstanding public and clerical figure of the first half of 16th century Vassian Patrikeev. It can be concluded that by the time of spreading of the Epistle and compilation of other literary texts on its basis in the 1520s the real «krabitsa» had already been lost, thus, its mentioning only in the literary text opened great opportunities for interpretation.

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