Nestled in the heart of Clinton, overlooking Central Park, the Museum of Russian Icons is a modern jewel box. With more than 350 icons dating from the 15th century to the present, the museum showcases one of the world’s finest private collections of this religious art form. The special setting and beautifully mounted collection made spending a recent Saturday afternoon in the museum a delight, with the dark-gray interior and soothing Russian liturgical music providing a lovely respite from the summer heat. Whether touring as locals or with out-of-town guests, the museum is a visual treat for anyone with an admiration for art, “green” architecture, or design.
The thoughtfully mounted collection of wood panels, crosses, triptychs, and small statues made for the Russian Orthodox Church is rich in color and detail. The icons, created by artists called “writers,” are sacred images of saints and other religious figures, meant to deepen the spiritual experience of the viewer. The museum’s two floors of exhibit space feature small groupings of icons with interpretive material that is informative but never overwhelming. A free, self-paced audio guide narrated by museum founder Gordon B. Lankton interprets the collection’s most significant work, and a knowledgeable staff is available for questions.
One of the museum’s most recent acquisitions, “Christ in Majesty,” is a large, nearly 6-foot tall icon dramatically framed in a doorway on the second floor. Painted in 1580, this image will be on exhibit through Sept. 5. Another notable work includes the Menyeia, a two-panel calendar created to illustrate the saints and festival days of the liturgical year, which is astonishing in its level of detail.
Designed by David and Pamela Durrant of Durrant Designs in Harvard, the renovated 19th-century brick building is an up-to-the-minute example of green building, as well as a visual delight. The small lower-level café features self-service coffee and tea in an intimate atmosphere. It’s decorated with a life-size photo mural of the beautiful Cathedral of the Dormition. The entire building is handicapped-accessible.
Hungry visitors to the Museum of Russian Icons can take a short drive around the corner to Ristorante Via Alto 27 for lunch or dinner in an authentic Italian bistro. Effervescent chef and Italy native Christiana Ernst, who opened Via Alto 27 a year ago with her husband, Anthony Michael, offers a diverse menu of appetizers, salads, and first and second courses—with a fabulous tiramisu for dessert. “Everything is homemade,” she says. “It’s high quality for a reasonable price.”
A recent visit for a pre-movie dinner bore this out. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine and salads with our entrées, resulted in a bill just under $30.
Diners who choose an appetizer have a choice of traditional antipasti, fried calamari with hot cherry peppers, fresh mozzarella, steamed mussels, or fried cheese ravioli. Fresh, house-made pasta can be topped with a traditional marinara or a cream-based sauce, and Ernst said her chicken piccata and chicken rolatini are to die for. The rolatini helped her come in second in last year’s contest for Worcester’s Best Chef, she noted. Other entrée selections include a daily fresh fish special, and such time-honored dishes as beef meatballs in tomato sauce and veal marsala.
Ernst recommends sharing first and second courses family style, and ordering a variety of dishes. Appetizers begin at $5, and prices for first course entrées start at $7.50 for homemade pasta with sauce of the day to $12 for the house lasagna. The more elaborate second course entrées range from $9.50 for chicken Parmesan to $18.95 for beef filet with portabella mushroom and madeira sauce.
The atmosphere at Via Alto 27 is upscale but casual, with seating available in the dining room and the large, comfortable bar. Reservations are recommended for parties of six or more.