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1914

His last visit to Vyatka

In 1914 he came to Vyatka for the last time and visited the theological school and seminary where he had studied.

1915

A sketch of the “bogatyrka”, the future budenovka

In 1915 he took part in designing a military uniform for the Russian army’s victory parade in Berlin and Constantinople; he is credited with creating the “bogatyrka”, a hat reproducing the cone-shaped helmets of Kievan Rus’ — the future budenovka.

1917

He rejects the revolution but stays in Russia

He did not accept the October Revolution, calling himself a convinced monarchist “on the ancient Russian principles”; his nobility and ties with the old regime found no favour with the Bolsheviks, but he did not emigrate and went on living and working in Moscow.

after 1917

After the revolution: church paintings to the Tretyakov

After the October Revolution he advocated moving some of the religious paintings from churches to the Tretyakov Gallery; even before the revolution he had been a trustee of the gallery and gave a significant part of his income to the State Historical Museum, a large part of whose collection was acquired with his money.