Why did the seventeenth-century Russian elite commission icons that prominently featured flowers, seemingly influenced by Catholic aesthetics, while the majority of the population faced persecution for even minor departures from religious orthodoxy? I argue that these floral icons served a political purpose, designed to reflect the evolving ideology of the Muscovite state. By using religious paintings as propaganda tools, these icons promoted the concept of a strong secular monarch as the head of a cameralist state. They also underscore the growing influence of royal women in court affairs.