** RARE PAIRE D’ICÔNES AVEC OKLAD EN VERMEIL DU... Lot n° 4

The first is a two-register icon, the first showing the Holy Savior Emmanuel enthroned in a halo, surrounded by the Four Evangelists and an assembly of saints, and the second an assembly of eight groups of saints praying under arcades; the second is a three-register icon, the center showing Saints Nicholas the Thaumaturgist, Zosimus and Savaty, surrounded by six scenes: Resurrection, Holy Trinity, Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Annunciation, Washing of the Feet, Crucifixion. Tempera on wood. In their rare 84 zolotniks (875 thousandths) vermeil oklads with chased, embossed and engraved decoration of foliage and cartouches with Slavonic inscriptions legending each scene. The backs are painted with Russian folk motifs. Some dents and oxidation. Russia, 17th century. No apparent hallmark. H. 19.5 x W. 17 cm. Total gross weight: 893.0 g. Provenance - Franz Fransevitch von Uthemann Collection (St. Petersburg, 1868 - Lucerne, 1925). - Then by descent. History Franz Fransevitch von Uthemann (1868-1925) was a leading figure in the St. Petersburg business world, carrying on the family legacy with his father, Franz Vassilievitch von Uthemann. Associated with Ferdinand Karl Krauzkopf, known as the "Rubber Baron", he actively contributed to the growth of the family business, the "Treugolnik" factory, founded in 1867. His marriage to Paulina Hilda von Krauzkopf, heiress to the prestigious rubber boot factory of the same name, further consolidated the ties between the two entrepreneurial dynasties. After completing his law studies at St. Petersburg University, Franz Fransevitch lent his skills to the city's Ministry of Finance. His involvement in several boards of directors, including those of "Treugolnik" and the Bavaria brewery, testified to his significant influence in the business circles of the time. However, the upheavals of the Russian Revolution in 1917 forced him and his family into exile, seeking refuge in Scandinavia before finally settling in Finland. The villa "Beau Soleil", nestled on the shores of peaceful Lake Geneva, became their new home until 1965. Lot sold under temporary importation.