Tsarist Gates in Hand-Cast Brass

A monumental ecclesiastical composition in hand-cast and high-polished brass

These monumental Tsarist Gates were developed as a sculptural interpretation of historical Orthodox ecclesiastical metalwork. The composition was cast in brass and refined entirely by hand within Kostylo Atelier, bringing architectural structure, ornament and reflective surface together within a single work.

The project draws upon 19th-century metalworking and goldsmithing traditions. Each cast element was shaped, corrected and refined through successive stages of manual work before being polished to a high sheen. The polished brass strengthens the depth of the relief and allows the appearance of the surface to change continuously with the surrounding light.

The composition is structured around vertical symmetry, repetition and a dense ornamental rhythm. Relief elements and architectural divisions were developed to remain clearly legible across the full scale of the gates, while the polished metal gives the work a strong visual presence within the interior.

The design refers to the historical language of Orthodox Tsarist Gates and to forms associated with the Orthodox sanctuary at Grabarka. Rather than reproducing a historical object mechanically, the work interprets this vocabulary through hand casting, manual refinement and the material discipline of the atelier.

Casting, surface correction, polishing, fitting and final assembly were carried out as one continuous atelier process. At this scale, the precision normally associated with smaller metalwork had to be maintained across an architectural composition composed of numerous individual elements.

Today, the gates remain part of the Heritage Archive, documenting an important stage in the atelier’s exploration of ecclesiastical metalwork, architectural brasswork and historical ornamental forms.

The result is not simply an ornamental gate. It is an architectural work in brass in which symmetry, relief, light and historical form are brought together through a single material language.