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ICON OF THE ELEVATION OF THE TRUE CROSS

Creator(s): Fabergé (Firm) , Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (Workmaster) , Carl Timoleon von Neff (After)

On view in: Russian Sacred Arts Gallery


About this object

The back of the triptych is light colored birchwood and the front is painted. Central section has a scene of St. Macarius of Jerusalem raising the True Cross with St. Helena on his left. The lower half of the left wing is a half- length portrait of St. Alexander Nevsky and above, two cherubim. The lower half of the right wing is a portrait of St. Mary Magdalen and above, two cherubim. Setting is in silver gilt, background is rose colored enamel over engraved engine turned ground. Framelike setting of a great doorway is topped with diamond set cross held by two cherub faces on either side. In between cross and painting of St. Macarius is a diamond set Dove of the Holy Ghost on rose colored enamel over engraved engine turned ground. Elaborate rococo scrolls and the fretwork over rose enamel backgrounds are set with diamonds.

The back of the triptych is light colored Birchwood and the front is painted. Central section has a scene of St. Macarius of Jerusalem raising the True Cross with St. Helena on his left (after a composition by Russian painter Carl Timoleon von Neff (1804-1877) in the St. Isaak Cathedral in St. Petersburg). The lower half of the left wing is a half-length portrait of St. Alexander Nevsky and above, two cherubim. The lower half of the right wing is a portrait of St. Mary Magdalen and above, two cherubim. Setting is in silver gilt, background is rose-colored enamel over engraved engine turned ground. Framelike setting of a great doorway is topped with diamond set cross held by two cherub faces on either side. In between cross and painting of St. Macarius is a diamond set Dove of the Holy Ghost on rose colored enamel over engraved engine turned ground. Elaborate rococo scrolls and the fretwork over rose enamel backgrounds are set with diamonds. It is inscribed on the reverse right panel.

Object name:
ICON OF THE ELEVATION OF THE TRUE CROSS
Made from:
Silver gilt -- enamel -- diamonds -- tempera on wood
Made in:
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Date made:
1886-1898
Size:
22.2 × 20.6 cm (8 3/4 × 8 1/8 in.)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
54.29
Class:
ICON
Signature marks:
MARK marks on each section: crossed anchors and scepter for St. Petersburg combined with 88 for silver standard; Faberge in Cyrillic [ФАБЕРЖЕ]; MP in Cyrillic [М.П] (initials of workmaster Mikhail Perkhin) INSCRIPTION scratch 60196 To Leonid Kolchev, Prebendary and Archpriest, Confessor to Her Majesty in pious remembrance from Xenia and Olga 1866-1916 [Митрофорному Протоиерею Леониду Колчеву / Духовнику Ея Величества / на молитвенную память / Ксеня и Ольга] on right reverse panel [in Russian]
Credit line:
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973