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Source Description

This large plaque is formed by two convex copper plates decorated with painted enamel in soft colors.In the center of the image on the front is an empty throne, inscribed at the top with a cyrillic 'N' and a Roman numeral I. This refers to the Russian emperor Nicholas I, who died in 1854. Christ and four childlike angels appear over the throne, in the heavenly realm in which the dead tsar supposedly now rests. On the right is a group of female saints: Catherine, the Empress Helena (holding the Cross, which she reportedly discovered on a pilgramage to Jerusalem), Alexandra the Queen, Mary Magdalene, and Princess Olga. On the left are male saints: Archangel Michael, Nicholas Kochanov (?), Emperor Constantine (like his mother, carrying the Cross), Alexander Nevski, and Nicholas the Miracle-Worker (bishop of Myra). It seems probable that these particular saints were chosen as the name-saints of Nicholas' family: his wife Alexandra, his daughters Maria, Olga and Alexandra, his sons Constantine, Alexander, Nicholas, and Mikhail, his sister-in-law Elena Pavlovna, his niece Ekaterina Mikhailovna, and his grandson Nicholas Alexandrovich (Alexander II's son and heir, who died before he could ascend the throne).On the back, in large gold letters on a blue background, is the inscription "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt 5:16).

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
26405
label
Medallion in Memory of Nicholas I
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
26405
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Medallion in Memory of Nicholas I
description
This large plaque is formed by two convex copper plates decorated with painted enamel in soft colors.In the center of the image on the front is an empty throne, inscribed at the top with a cyrillic 'N' and a Roman numeral I. This refers to the Russian emperor Nicholas I, who died in 1854. Christ and four childlike angels appear over the throne, in the heavenly realm in which the dead tsar supposedly now rests. On the right is a group of female saints: Catherine, the Empress Helena (holding the Cross, which she reportedly discovered on a pilgramage to Jerusalem), Alexandra the Queen, Mary Magdalene, and Princess Olga. On the left are male saints: Archangel Michael, Nicholas Kochanov (?), Emperor Constantine (like his mother, carrying the Cross), Alexander Nevski, and Nicholas the Miracle-Worker (bishop of Myra). It seems probable that these particular saints were chosen as the name-saints of Nicholas' family: his wife Alexandra, his daughters Maria, Olga and Alexandra, his sons Constantine, Alexander, Nicholas, and Mikhail, his sister-in-law Elena Pavlovna, his niece Ekaterina Mikhailovna, and his grandson Nicholas Alexandrovich (Alexander II's son and heir, who died before he could ascend the throne).On the back, in large gold letters on a blue background, is the inscription "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt 5:16).
provenance
Leon Grinberg (""A la Vieille Russie""), New York [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1951, by purchase.
date
1855-1856 (Modern)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Enamels
icons
medallions
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
13.6
height
11.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 5 3/8 x W: 4 1/2 in. (13.6 x 11.5 cm)
Source extras
style
Neo-Classical
inscriptions
[Transcription] On the back: Тако да просветится / светъ вашъ предъ человеки / яко да видятъ вашы добрыя / дела и прославятъ Отца ва/шего иже есть на небесехъ (Matthew 5:16); [Translation] At top of empty throne: N I; [Translation] On the back
in large gold letters on a blue background: Let your light so shine before men
that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father which is in heaven
dynasty
House of Romanov
reign
Alexander II
med
painted enamel on copper
creator_ids
6214
collection_ids
EAN
exhibition_ids
956
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
384d0ad85445be7b
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
e130d36adacb0bb3
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no