Dmitry Ivanov, Custodian of the Tsars' Treasures at the Moscow Armory
Preliminary Note by Dmitry Ivanov
"Contained within the photos is ample information about how this gentleman was the mastermind behind saving the cultural and artistic heritage of the Tsarist era."
A lawyer during the monarchy and a historian, he managed to preserve the museum's treasures from dissipation in the difficult post-revolutionary circumstances.
The director of the Kremlin Armory, Dmitry Ivanov, committed suicide on January 12, 1930, due to despair and the immense psychological pressure of witnessing the Soviet regime dismantling, looting, and selling the Tsars' historical treasures abroad. Ivanov could not bear the impending mass confiscation of unique pieces and the fabricated accusation of theft leveled against him by the authorities to discredit him.
In the spring of 1918, a new government took over the Kremlin, closing the doors of cathedrals and monasteries and confiscating priceless relics. Dmitry Ivanov, unable to witness these events, decided to take action. "I would especially like to work for the cause of preserving the monuments, which I cherish so much, and prevent their removal from Russia," he wrote about that period.