Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra from the Deisis Row of an iconostasis. Circle of Dionysius, Moscow or Rostov, ca. 1500.

Condition: Consistent with age. Extensive craquelure, old restorations, and inpainting are all visible. Areas around the face and nimbus show early signs of lifting.

Ca. 1650-1700 Northern Russian Icon depicting the Miracle of St. George Slaying the Dragon.

Icon of the Old Testament Holy Trinity (the Hospitality of Abraham), Central Russia, circa 1550-1575.

A rare and important  Russian wedding pair of late 19th-/early 20th-century icons of the Iveron Mother of God and Christ Pantocrator, each in gilded silver oklad revetment covers decorated with cloisonné and champlevé enamel. Silversmith Ivan Tarabrov, marketed by Orest Kurlyukov, Moscow, 1893 and 1894.

The halos of the Mother of God and the Christ Child decorated with cloisonné enamel harmonizing with the colors of the four applied spandrels, all of which are decorated in an unusual pattern of bright engraved scrolling floral ornament with a white heart and red “scepter” on a periwinkle blue ground. A shaped and applied gilded silver sheet forming the open pages of the Gospels is decorated in blue and red champlevé enamel with a passage from John 13: 34-35 (Заповедь новую даю вам, да любите друг друга: якоже возлюбих вы, да и вы любите себе: о сем разумеют вси..., trans: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know [that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.]”). The Holy Figures’ garments cast and chased in trompe l’oeil work imitating draped textiles with floral and geometric ornament as well as a fringe. The ground engraved with a Byzantine ornamental pattern of interwoven hearts. The outer borders chased and polished with scrolling floral ornament against a matted ground, a pattern inspired by 17th- century Russian metalwork. The lower borders are applied with gilded silver and champlevé enamel identificatory plaques.

Large church icon dating to the third quarter of the 17th century and depicting the Miracle of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki with scenes from his life, martyrship, and posthumous miracles. The central panel depicts the miraculous appearance of St. Demetrius in the camp of the infidel Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, who attempted to reestablish ties with the Western church. St. Demetrius is shown on horseback piercing the king with his spear with towers of Thessaloniki shown on the background.

A fancy Russian icon of Christ Pantocrator with heavy gilded silver, cloisonné, and champlevé enamel oklad revetment cover. The cover’s borders cast and chased with interlace ornament and the corners are applied with heavy spandrels decorated with foliate forms. The decoration of Christ’s cast and chased garments are unusual in that they include champlevé ornament at neck and cuffs. Similarly, the halo combines stippled and polished grounds in an unusual manner; the enameled foliate elements forming the rays of the halo are reserved against a stippled ground while the remainder of the nimbus is polished. The ground is engraved in a Byzantine-inspired pattern of crosses.

Silver Marks: Struck on underside and garments with maker’s marks, Moscow hallmarks dated 1878, and 84 (.875) silver standard. Secondary 84 marks and maker’s marks are struck on the spandrels. Provenance: Sotheby’s New York, Silver, vertu and Russian works of art, 18 October 2001, lot 6.

A large vita icon of the Martyr St. Paraskevi of Iconium with scenes from her life, Central Russia, possibly Yaroslavl, ca. 1650-1675.

A fine matching pair of ca. 1900-1908 wedding icons of the Kazan Mother of God and Christ Pantocrator made by an important silversmith, Purveyor to the Imperial Household, firm of P. Ovchinnikov in Moscow.

Icon of Christ Pantocrator and Kazan Mother of God held in cloisonné, champlevé, and filigree enamel oklad and halos and pearl embroidery garments. Both oklads framed with half-columns enameled with Byzantine-inspired ornament, the grounds similarly enameled with a Byzantine-inspired turquoise filigree enamel with a pattern of interwoven hearts. The oklads applied with shaped crowns enameled in brightly colored cloisonné enamels and with seed pearls mounted on the points. Both figures are draped in finely couched pearl embroidery. Christ is shown holding a shaped plate forming the open pages of the Gospel on which is enameled in blue champlevé a passage from John 13:34-35 (“A new commandment I give you: Love one another..."). The reverse of each covered with deep brown silk velvet.

A large triptych centered with circa 1850 icons of the Old Testament Trinity flanked by icons of St. Nicholas and the Archangel Michael, the central icon with cast and chased parcel-gilt oklad revetment cover with painted enamel identificatory plaques, struck with Cyrillic initials AF for Alexey Frolov, Moscow, 1850. The triptych is set within an ogee-shaped glazed wood frame with brass fittings.

Marks: Struck at the lower center of the oklad with maker’s marks, Moscow hallmarks, and with 84 silver standard (.875).

An icon of the Holy Mandylion with gilded silver and enamel oklad revetment cover, by maker Antip Kuzmichev, Moscow, 1889. The oklad is distinctive as a demonstration of Kuzmichev’s use of engraving to achieve trompe l’oeil effects, as well as the austerity of his enamel design on the halo. The icon is fully painted with fine detail. The icon and oklad are well fitted; there are no large gaps around the edges of the halo or tendrils of hair.

Marks: Struck on the underside of the oklad with maker’s mark and Moscow hallmarks dated 1889 and 84 (.875) silver standard. Secondary marks are struck on the spandrels and halos. The reverse is covered with magenta-colored silk.

Condition: There are scattered some spots of loss to the icon surface. Minimal enamel loss.

Icon of the Descent into Hades from the festival row of the iconostasis, Northern Russia, ca. 1650- 1700.

Condition: Extensive craquelure with paint shrinkage or lifting, inpainting, some small losses

A large menological Church icon centered around the Resurrection with Descent into Hell (Anastasis), bordered by 12 scenes with major Orthodox Feasts, with groups of Orthodox Saints arranged according to the Church calendar for the year, selected holidays, and an outer border with small depictions of 62 miracleworking icons of the Mother of God, all on a panel with borders gilded and tooled.

The Holy Archangel Michael is one of the most celebrated of the Angels called the Archistrategos, or chief commander, of all the Heavenly powers. According to the Holy Scripture and Tradition, he has interceded for humanity multiple times and continues to serve as the Defender of the Faith. Saint Michael is most often invoked for protection from invasion by enemies and from civil war, and for the defeat of adversaries on the field of battle.

Saint Michael is depicted riding a red-winged horse carrying the book of Gospels, the Trumpet of Judgement, the censer, and a lance, with which he conquers the demon depicted on the lower right. Next to the winged demon a depiction of a city of Babylon drowning in sins. The gold semi-circle between his hands represents his covenant with God.

The icon is depicting Anastasis - Scenes of Christ's Resurrection and Descent to the Hades painted in traditional style. The reverse of the panel with red painted inscription in Russian reading: "This icon was restored with zeal at the request of Vitaly Nikolaevich Fal'kovsky, by the icon painter Alexander Sergeevich Andrianov in 1892 in the Mit'kovki suburb.”

A late 19th-century icon of Christ Pantocrator in gilded silver and cloisonné and champlevé enamel oklad, St. Petersburg, workmaster Petr Egorovich Filippov (Ivanov 2002 no. 4390). The halo decorated with cloisonné, filigree, and transparent enamel. Christ’s garments cast and chased in trompe l’oeil work imitating draped textile and His figure is set against a ground of clover ornament. The outer borders of the gilded silver oklad revetment cover cast and chased with an unusual pattern of hobnail ornament within geometric frames, also with applied spandrels in cloisonné enamel and an identificatory plaque in champlevé. In the half-length image, Christ holds the Gospels in his left hand and makes the gesture of blessing with his right. The open “pages” of the Gospel are applied with a gilded silver shaped plate on which in blue champlevé enamel is a truncated passage from John 13:34- 35: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.“

A late 19th-century octangular icon of the Holy Trinity (the Hospitality of Abraham) from the Festival Row of an iconostasis, Central Russia. The border engraved, gilded, and painted in imitation of gilded silver and enamel. 

A double-sided icon depicting the Image of Savior Not Made by Human Hands (The Holy Mandylion) and the Elevation of the Cross.