AN IMPORTANT IMPERIAL PRESENTATION RUSSIAN ICON 1

AN IMPORTANT IMPERIAL PRESENTATION RUSSIAN ICON 1913. Comprising a finely painted image of the Holy Visage overlaid with chased silver oklad and applied halo. The verso retaining original velvet covering and set with engraved gilded plaque inscribed in Russian "Blessings of their Imperial Majesties" (Благословения их Императорских Величеств) and dated May 1913. The lower margin of oklad with condensed and abbreviated title rendered in Old Slavonic identifying the subject as "The Not-By-Hands-Made Image of the Lord." The oklad hallmarked Moscow 1896-1908, and Cyrillic maker's mark DS most likely for Dmitry Smirnov. 5.4 inches x 4.4 inches (13.5cm x 11.2cm).

Provenance:
Private collection U.S.A.

The date on the presentation plaque (1913) is of course the year of the Romanov Tercentenary and therefore was likely gifted at that time to a dignitary while on their historic tour. This particular image of the Holy Visage is known to have been a favorite of the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Indeed it is preciously this rendering of the face of the Savior as miraculously transferred to a cloth, in which there were similar examples found in the belongings of the Royal family left behind in the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg where the Royal family and members of their household were executed in July 1918.

In May of 1913, the Imperial family went on a tour, a sort of pilgrimage, following the route of Mikhail I after his election as ruler in 1613, and the tour was to visit all ancient towns of Muscovy associated with the founding of the Romanov dynasty. The tour started off in Kostroma, where they arrived in a 'flotilla of steamboats' on the Volga, greeted by a large crowd of townspeople. Here Nicholas visited the Ipatiev Monastery, where Michael had sought refuge from the invading Poles and the Muscovite civil wars, and posed for a photo with the descendants of Boyars who had offered the crown to Mikhail. From there, the tour went to Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl, by rail in a luxurious train. To the monastery town of Suzdal the party had to travel in thirty open-top Renaults, as there were no railways. The pilgrimage 'climaxed' when the Imperial Family triumphantly arrived in the historical capital Moscow, site of the crowning of the first Romanov ruler, at Alexandrovsky train station, greeted by a large number of dignitaries. The Tsar mounted a white horse and rode alone, sixty feet ahead of the rest of the party and his Cossack guard escort, towards the Kremlin in front of large cheering crowds. The decorations of Tverskaya Street, with velvet banners donning Romanov symbols spanning the boulevard, buildings covered in pennants, flags, and lights 'even more inventive' than those in the capital, garlanded statues of the Tsar and a showering of confetti from the people, were 'even more magnificent than in St. Petersburg. The Tsar dismounted in the Red Square, the convergence point of the religious processions throughout the city who flocked to him, where he walked by rows of priests chanting and for prayers entered the Uspensky Cathedral.

SHIPPING NOTICE:
Jackson's is your sole and only source for one stop packing and shipping. With over 50 years of experience, our professional, affordable and efficient in-house shipping department will be happy to provide you a fair and reasonable shipping quote on this lot. Simply email us before the auction for a quick quote: shipping@jacksonsauction.com or call 1-800-665-6743. Jackson's can expertly pack and ship to meet any of your needs. To ensure quality control Jackson's DOES NOT release to third party shippers.
Condition Report: Important Notice: The absence of condition information in the description does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition, a condition report is available by request.