Icon Of Christ The Pantocrator With A Silver Basma. Semion Grigorievich Galkine.

A particularly expressive icon of Christ Pantocrator, painted in oil on a wooden panel and created in the tradition of early 20th-century Russian national romanticism. Christ is depicted blessing with his right hand while holding the open Gospel in his left hand. The artistic conception of this image is rooted in the aesthetic developed by Viktor Vasnetsov and in the mainstream of Russian religious painting of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The deeply inspired face, the delicate modeling of forms by light, the refined color palette, and the strong psychological intensity bring this work close to creations inspired by the famous murals of St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in Kyiv.

The icon is set in a silver basma (oklad) of 84 fineness, richly decorated with remarkable chiseling and engraving. The borders are adorned with a continuous frieze composed of grape clusters, flowers, and plant scrolls. The vine motif is a traditional reference to Christ, the True Vine, thus emphasizing the work’s Eucharistic significance. The remarkable quality of the chasing, as well as the balance between the painting and its silver cladding, make this icon a representative example of Moscow religious art from the late imperial period.

The silver basma, of particular artistic interest, is the work of the Moscow goldsmith Semion Grigorievich Galkin, one of the masters active during the final years of the Russian Empire. The icon is preserved in its original wooden kiot, featuring an interior back panel covered in velvet.

Style: Russian National Romanticism with Neo-Byzantine influences, in the artistic tradition of Viktor Vasnetsov.

Hallmarks: Master’s mark “С.Г.,” identified as belonging to Semion Grigorievich Galkin. Silver with a fineness of 84, or 875/1000.

Dimensions: Icon, 26.5 × 22 cm. Kiot, 37 × 32 cm.

Weight: Total weight, 723.8 g.

Condition: In good condition. The paint and silver basma are well preserved, showing only slight signs of age. The silver decoration is complete, with no significant losses.