Lot Essay
It is known that in May 1912 Tsesarevich Aleksei travelled to Moscow together with his parents Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for the opening of the statue of his grandfather Alexander III. It was his first state visit to Moscow, an important occasion celebrated with festivities and Imperial receptions.
Vladimir Dzhunkovsky (1865-1938), at the time Governor-General of Moscow, describes the Imperial state visit in detail in his ‘Memoires’. A few days before the opening ceremony on 30 May, Emperor Nicholas I and his family received an official group of statesmen, nobility and city representatives in the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin. During this reception, the Moscow Mayor Nikolay Guchkov presented the icon of St Alexis to Tsesarevich Aleksei on behalf of the Moscow City Council, proclaiming: ‘God bless you and may the Great Bishop of Moscow Alexis guide you to the delight of your parents and for the benefit of the Russian people’ (V. Dzhunkovsky, Memoires, Moscow, vol. 1, 2015).
The Moscow Nobility Society also presented another icon to Tsesarevich Aleksei on the same occasion. Its current location is unknown, although it was recorded that the icon was designed by V. Vasnetsov and depicted Vladimir Mother of God.
The present icon has a gold oklad which is assembled from earlier embossed pieces as well as a contemporary champlevé enamelled gold plaque with the dedication inscription dated 1912. The design of the oklad thus resembles early medieval assembled examples and embodies the revival of a traditional Russian artistic vernacular.
We are grateful to Dr Valentin Skurlov for their assistance with the research of the present lot.
Vladimir Dzhunkovsky (1865-1938), at the time Governor-General of Moscow, describes the Imperial state visit in detail in his ‘Memoires’. A few days before the opening ceremony on 30 May, Emperor Nicholas I and his family received an official group of statesmen, nobility and city representatives in the Dormition Cathedral in the Kremlin. During this reception, the Moscow Mayor Nikolay Guchkov presented the icon of St Alexis to Tsesarevich Aleksei on behalf of the Moscow City Council, proclaiming: ‘God bless you and may the Great Bishop of Moscow Alexis guide you to the delight of your parents and for the benefit of the Russian people’ (V. Dzhunkovsky, Memoires, Moscow, vol. 1, 2015).
The Moscow Nobility Society also presented another icon to Tsesarevich Aleksei on the same occasion. Its current location is unknown, although it was recorded that the icon was designed by V. Vasnetsov and depicted Vladimir Mother of God.
The present icon has a gold oklad which is assembled from earlier embossed pieces as well as a contemporary champlevé enamelled gold plaque with the dedication inscription dated 1912. The design of the oklad thus resembles early medieval assembled examples and embodies the revival of a traditional Russian artistic vernacular.
We are grateful to Dr Valentin Skurlov for their assistance with the research of the present lot.