Dmitri Semenovich Stelletsky entered the St Petersburg Academy in 1896. He became fascinated with the iconographic tradition of Russia and developed the theme of Old Russia throughout his oeuvre. Stelletsky was often found in the library studying Russian history and was required to copy from early examples of native art as part of his academic training. He made several visits to cultural and historical sites and adapted the Russo-Byzantine tradition to modern pictorial evolution.

Visiting monasteries, copying frescoes and icons, Stelletsky built his own style, drawing on Russian vernacular artistic form. He studied in Paris at the Académie Julian in 1904 and was represented in the Russian art section at the S...