Pages: 439-448

The miniature relief stone icons, the number of which is close to half a thousand wares, present the main fund of works of medieval Russian plastic. Accumulation and the study of this material have been conducted since the late 19th century, when the first, mainly informative, articles were published. But soon, stone icons were paid attention to also as examples of plastic art. For classification and systematization of wares T.V. Nicolaeva’s contributions are most considerable. She worked out the code of Old Russian stone plastic of small mould and marked answers to main questions connected with study of these items.
Further study of the items in the context of medieval art leads to conclusion about the beginning of stone carving in Russia, as a branch of handicraft, about 1200r; earlier only the items of  Byzantine import were known.
The beginning of local traditions of stone carving with personal style of stone-work is traceable in first decades of the 13th century in Kiev and on turn of 13th – 14th centuries in Novgorod. Wares of separate (individual) workshops turn out well to group; these products were made by employing Byzantine art experience.

Keywords: Stone Plastic, Small Mould, Old Russian