Icon “our Lady Of Koursk-korennaya – The Sign” Russia, Vologda, 1802

A remarkable example of Northern Russian icon painting from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, combining the traditions of the Vologda school with exquisite silverwork. The icon depicts the Most Holy Mother of God in the “Praying” type— “The Sign,” with the Infant Christ depicted in a medallion on her chest. The central image is framed and surrounded by figures of the Lord of Hosts and Old Testament prophets holding scrolls announcing the Incarnation.

An element of particular artistic significance is the repoussé silver overlay executed in 1802 by the silversmith Andrian Ioakimovich Klishin. The composition of the overlay is constructed according to the strict symmetry characteristic of early Classicism, while retaining the decorative richness of the Baroque. The plant motifs, garlands, cartouches, and the radiant halo of the Mother of God are rendered in deep repoussé with exquisite modeling. The gilded elements highlight the sacred center of the composition.

The icon combines the spiritual expressiveness of painting with the virtuosity of Northern Russian goldsmithing, illustrating the high artistic level of Vologda in the early 19th century.

Hallmarks: Master’s mark “АК” in Cyrillic within a square cartouche—Andrian Ioakimovich Klishin; Vologda city hallmark with the initials “ГШ”—assay master Grigori Shichkin, beneath the date “1802”; Corresponds to entries No. 310 and No. 324 in the Postnikova-Loseva hallmark catalog.

Dimensions: Height – 41.5 cm; Width – 35 cm.

Condition: Good. Slight signs of age on the paint layer and silver plating. The composition is fully preserved with no major losses.

Provenance: Private collection.