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.
