10 main exhibits from Moscow’s Museum of Russian Icons (PICS)

1. Icon of Archangel Michael (1560s)

This icon from Vologda was the first piece of the private collection of philanthropist Mikhail Abramov (1963-2019), which grew into the museum that opened in 2006. 

2. St. Nicholas (mid-14th century)

Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the most venerated saints in Russia. It’s the most ancient exhibit in the museum's collection and came from St. Petersburg artist Y. S. Yershov’s collection. In 1967, he discovered the icon in an abandoned wooden chapel in the Russian North.

3. The Miracle of George & the Dragon (early 16th century)

On this Novgorod icon, early Christian Saint George fights a serpent. It was found by a Soviet private collector and enthusiast in the 1970s and the icon has since been recognized as a true masterpiece.

4. Theophany (early 16th century)

This scene of the Lord's Baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River was created by a Moscow master. For 200 years, it adorned the festive tier of an iconostasis and was rectangular. Several icons from this tier were sold abroad during the Soviet era and only this Theophany icon has since returned to Russia.

5. Image of the Prophet Gideon (mid-15th century)

This icon once belonged to the Old Believer Mikhail Chuvanov. He donated most of his collection to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts back in 1988. Another icon from the same prophetic tier of the iconostasis, the Prophet Daniel, is still stored in its reserves.

6. Icon of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk (16th century)

The image of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk dates back to a 14th-century wooden statue held in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Saint Nicholas is depicted standing full-length with a sword, acting as the protector and savior of the city of Mozhaisk, a miniature model of which he holds in his left hand. 

The museum acquired the icon in the city of Vladimir in 2010. It was likely intended for one of the city’s St. Nicholas churches.

7. Christ Pantocrator (16th century)

This Rostov icon was bought by hereditary collector Sergei Vorobiev at a flea market he found in Izmailovo. His expert intuition did not fail him and it turned out that the image was much older than previously stated and had been overlaid with a later painting.

8. Usolye Triptych (17th century)

This triptych, painted by order of Bishop Alexander of Vyatka and Velikoperm, consists of three images: the Theotokos of Odigitria, the scene of the Six Days (Hexaemeron) and the Saturday of All Saints.

9. Theotokos of Odigitria (1670s)

This icon was painted by Simon Ushakov, the court icon painter to Tsar Alexis. In the 1990s, collector Viktor Samsonov discovered a Moscow dealer in the possession of the masterpiece. It was revealed that it originated from the Kremlin Armory Chamber, but this had gone unnoticed for many years.

10. The icon of Our Lady of Kazan (late 19th century)

This icon in an elegant enamel ‘riza’ (frame) belonged to Nicholas II's second daughter, Tatiana. It was given to her at the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius in 1913, the year of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty. The Grand Duchess took it with her into Siberian exile after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. After the execution of the tsarist family, the icon was sold abroad. In 2011, the Museum of Russian Icons acquired it, along with another hundred icons, from American collector Ion Zaydelman’s private collection.

‘Gateway to Russia’ is thankful to the Museum of Russian Icons for their help in preparing this article.