Back to search results

ST. NICHOLAS OF VELIKORETSK WITH SCENES FROM HIS LIFE

Creator(s): Fedor Studentsov (Silversmith) , Unknown (Painter)

On view in: Icon Room


About this object

This large silver and gilded repousse oklad depicts the small half-length figure of St. Nicholas of Myra wearing a heavy jewelled crown and surrounded by eight scenes from his life. These are inscribed as follows: the Initiation of St. Nicholas into Learning, the Appearance of St. Nicholas to King Constantine, St. Nicholas Saves Demetrius from Drowning, St. Nicholas Builds the Temple of Zion, St. Nicholas Stills the Storm, St. Nicholas Saves the Three Innocent Men from the Sword, St. Nicholas Restores Agrikova's Son Vasilii from the Saracens, the Entombment of St. Nicholas. A narrow frame decorated with floral scrolls en repoussee twines in and out of the central scenes and is set with eight niello medallions depicting the Old Testament Trinity (top center), the four evangelists in each corner, Saints Peter and Metropolitan Jonah on the left polia, Saints Metropolitan Aleksii and Alexander on the right, and Saints Basil, Gregory, and John Chrysostum on the bottom polia. The icon which this oklad originally adorned has been replaced in the 20th century by a plywood board crudely painted to match the scenes on the oklad. The verso is covered with a brown paisley striped fabric.

Object name:
ST. NICHOLAS OF VELIKORETSK WITH SCENES FROM HIS LIFE
Made from:
Oil on plywood -- silver gilt with niello and paste gemstones
Made in:
Moscow, Russia
Date made:
late 18th-mid 20th Century
Size:
57.5 × 46.4 cm (22 5/8 × 18 1/4 in.)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
54.12
Class:
ICON
Signature marks:
INSCRIPTION; MARK; LABEL OKLAD: hallmarks on bottom edge 1) FPS (in heart shape) for maker Fedor Petrovich Studentsov, 1775-80 (P-L #3018), 2) A.A 1775 for tester Andrei Andreev, 1771-79 (P-L #2085), 3) A.O V (in heart shape) for unknown alderman, 1777-89 (P-L #2135), 4) St. George and the Dragon facing right for Moscow; each scene and each niello medallion is identified by a full inscription pricked out on the metal; "Boris 1989" is scratched on the inside center of the oklad. ICON: on verso 30 (on red bordered label); "RITZA WORK DONE 89 ICON FINE 89 No 20" (on masking tape); "Eighteenth Century Very Rare Old Russian Silver Gilt Ikon From the Kremlin Palace Purchased from the Collection of Lord Ashbrooke Durrow Castle 'Fully Marked' Queen Co. Ireland" (handwritten on card label removed from the back and now in file.)
Credit line:
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973