St. Nicholas II, last Tsar of Russia

Photograph

-

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

St. Nicholas II, last Tsar of Russia

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.008

Description

Wood icon consisting of photo transfer overlaid with gold leaf and an orange, green and red painted border. The photo depicts Tsar Nicholas II in the Monomakh's Cap crown, which consists of two gold domes with a cross at the top lined with dark fur. Tsar Nicholas is clothed in red and blue robes with gold crusted trim, and he holds a tri-bar Orthodox cross in one hand and a scroll with Cyrillic writing on the other. He is flanked by two Cyrillic captions. The reverse side has a printed label denoting the name of the art piece.

Collection

Betsy Scheuring Icon Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2005.02

Source or Donor

Betsy Scheuring

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Betsy Scheuring

Made/Created

Time Period

20th Century

Place

Country

Russia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Sticker

Location

Reverse side of icon

Transcription

Инколай II

Language

Cyrillic alphabet, Russian

Translation

Incolai II (Nicolai/ Nicholas II)

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Icon

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Symbol, Religious

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Religious Objects

Nomenclature Class

Ceremonial Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

2-13/16 in

Width

2-1/2 in

Exhibition

Wunderkammer: Introduction to Curatorial Practices Class Fall 2024 (2025)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Nicholas II, last Tsar of Russia, abdicated on March 15, 1917. After he was executed on the night of July 17, 1918, Nicholas remained a prominent figure in Russian Orthodoxy because of a belief that tsars were appointed by God. In 1981, Nicholas II was canonized as a martyr who died because of his faith. The detailed treatment and shading of the figure are Western European in manner, but the photo transfer has been overlaid with gold leaf, which (along with the hand-painted border) reflects earlier icon tradition.