13 Facts About Russian icons

Use and making of Russian icons entered Ancient Rus' following its conversion to Orthodox Christianity in AD 988.

Personal, innovative and creative traditions of Western European religious art were largely lacking in Russia before the 17th century, when Russian icons icon painting became strongly influenced by religious paintings and engravings from both Protestant and Catholic Europe.

Many religious homes in Russia have Russian icons hanging on the wall in the krasny ugol, the "red" or "beautiful" corner.

Some most venerated but whole Russian icons considered to be products of miraculous thaumaturge are those known by the name of the town associated with them, such as the Vladimir, the Smolensk, the Kazan and the Czestochowa images, all of the Virgin Mary, usually referred to by Orthodox Christians as the Theotokos, the Birth-Giver of God.

Later Russian icons were often the work of many hands, not of a single artisan.

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Nonetheless some later Russian icons are signed with name of the painter, as well as the date and place.

Many Russian icons were destroyed, or sold abroad, by agents of the Soviet government; some were hidden to avoid destruction, or were smuggled out of the country.

Many older, hidden Russian icons have been retrieved from hiding, or brought back from overseas.

Some still turn up on the market today, along with numbers of newly painted intentional forgeries, as well as Russian icons sold legitimately as new but painted in earlier styles.

Many Russian icons sold today retain some characteristics of earlier painting but are nonetheless obviously contemporary.

Since the 1990s, numerous late 19th- and early 20th-century Russian icons have been artificially aged, then purported to unwitting buyers and collectors as being older than they really are.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Russian icons have been repatriated via direct purchase by Russian museums, private Russian collectors, or as was the case of Pope John Paul II giving an 18th-century copy of the famous Our Lady of Kazan icon to the Russian Orthodox Church, returned to Russia in good faith.

Every piece of these splendid Russian icons was examined by the icon expert of the Vienna Dorotheum and was provided with a certificate.