AN IMPORTANT RUSSIAN MT. ATHOS ICON SIGNED & DATE

AN IMPORTANT RUSSIAN MT. ATHOS ICON SIGNED & DATED. Comprising an icon of Saint Nicholas, traditionally depicted delivering a blessing and holding a book of Gospels, rendered in the typical Mt. Athos style. The lower left corner inscribed "Blessings of the Holy Mount Athos, Kellia (skete) of Holy Basil the Great, Starets (Elder) Hieromonk (Priest-monk) Kirill, year 1879" The entire image overlaid with a stunning multi-piece silver gilt, repoussé, chased and enameled oklad. The borders banded in cloisonné on a stippled gilt ground and with conforming champlevé enamel corner and side plaques. The border of halo in ornate enameled rosettes, the Gospels cover with translucent lavender enamel over engine turning and banded in turquoise enameled beading. Suspended from the neck of Nicholas an engraved and enameled panagia engraved with a likeness of Christ and with crown finial. The vestments of Nicholas constructed as a separate piece in high relief repoussé with extensive chasing. Hallmarked Moscow, dated 1880 and with Cyrillic maker's mark AK for Antip Kuzmichev and 84 standard. 12.4 inches x 10.25 inches (31.5 x 26 cm).

Hieromonk Kirill (in the world Kapiton Illarionovich Abramov) was born on February 26, 1845 in the village of the Melekhovskaya Don region. In the year 1860 the 15-year-old Kapiton, together with his own father, arrived on Athos, and they both entered the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon. Soon after their arrival the Abramov's entered the cell of St. Basil the Great, where both were tonsured into the mantle with the renaming of Kapiton to Kirill. It was here that Kirill was eventually ordained hierodeacon and hieromonk in 1865.

In 1882, after the death of the elder of the cell of St. Mitrophan, Father Kirill, was elected its new abbot and in 1883 he also became the rector of the cell of St. John Chrysostom of the Khilandar monastery. Father Kirill was one of the main initiators of the formal unification of Russian monasticism on Athos. On his personal initiative and efforts of May 14, 1896, the Brotherhood of Russian monasteries of Athos was formed.

Father Kirill was active in the building up of the faith being involved in a multitude of projects; a school in Constantinople, the restoration of the Zlatoust Monastery and many other all of which found him spending time working with various donors. The offered lot is very likely a gift from Father Kirill to one of those donors who in turn contracted the firm of Kuzmichev to create the oklad which now adorns this icon. During a fund raising trip to his homeland, he fell seriously ill and could no longer return to his native monasteries. He reposed in the Lord on February 15 (28), 1915 in Moscow and was buried in the cemetery of the Moscow Intercession Church (in Tsarskoye Selo), which belonged to the Alekseevsky women's monastery.

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Condition Report: The icon is in good condition. The paint layer is stable with no signs of lifting or flaking. There is a good amount of old built up dirt and grime as well as the yellowed varnish coat. Ultraviolet blacklight examination shows some minor retouching in the background areas which correspond to the hardware on the oklad. The oklad itself is in very good condition with the exception of what is likely a missing name plaque on the lower central margin which has exposed the mounting holes. Otherwise the enamel is in very good condition and the icon would likely brighten if cleaned. A good specimen.