A silver-gilt and neillo covered icon, Veliki Ustiug, 1765

centred with Saint Nicholas surrounded by scenes from his life, with faint Cyrillic inscription l.r., the gilt oklad set at the corners with finely nielloed depictions of The Four Evangelists, the borders mounted with further scenes from the Saint's life each inscribed in Cyrillic and held in foliate cartouches, dated 1765

The silver oklad is in overall good condition. The niello panel on the lower right section of the icon is missing. The niello is in good condition and the original gilding is visible, if a little worn. The painted icon - there is a faded inscription on the paint lower right. There is evidence of overpainting and restoration throughout. There is a vertical split on the right side of the panel. There are sections where the background has been stripped to the gesso, visible in the photograph. We would advise prospective buyers to view.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The inscriptions in Cyrillic read:
Produced during the reign of the most venerable autocratic ruler of the Great Empire, the Empress Ekaterina Alexeevna of all Russia and her heir the pious Tsarevich, the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich.

This holy image was decorated according to the commission of Andrei Ivanov Efreimov, Veliki Ustiug, in the great factory of Afansy and Stefan Mikhailovich, son of Popov, in the silversmith's workshop under the supervision of Semen Gushchin.

Veliki Ustiug is home to a particularly Russian form of silverwork, the art of niello. It was in this region that some of the finest niello works were created and Catherine II gave noted patronage to silversmiths here. The Empress commissioned cartographic boxes or finely worked snuff boxes to offer as presentation pieces; some examples were sold by Sotheby's, 28 November 2006, lot 246 and 12th June 2007, lot 365.

The Popov Brothers, who created this extraordinarily fine oklad, founded one of the first factories in Veliki Ustiug. Fairly soon they were recognised as being amongst the best niello masters in the country. Their fame was based on exceptional artistic quality and craftsmanship. Two snuffboxes created by the Popov Brothers dated 1765 and 1770 are held in the collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum, USA.

Nielloed icon covers of this quality are exceptionally rare and certainly have not appeared on the international auction market for some time.