His attitude towards it changed over time from very cautious to openly appreciative, as he came to see the Old Believers as keepers of old Russian artistic traditions which otherwise would have disappeared without a trace, lacking governmental support.
[1] It was in Racheiskov's studio that Leskov, while studying Ikonopisny podlinnik (a hand-written manual of icon-painting), wrote The Sealed Angel.
[1] Leskov remarked later that The Sealed Angel was his only work that avoided any editorial cuts, explaining this by Mikhail Katkov's men being "too busy to pay much notice".
The Sealed Angel, being close to a Christmas story in style and form, was warmly received at the Russian Court.
With a barrel of vodka hung down his neck and armed with a pole for maintaining balance, this intrepid traveler indeed safely walked a chain over to Kiev side with his cargo which has been promptly consumed by his comrades, in celebration of the Easter.