Icône de Saint Nicolas entouré des Apôtres Pierre et Paul surmontant le cuirassé Petropavlovsk

Tempera on wood, depicting in the center the Patron Saint of Tsar Nicholas II flanked on either side by the two apostles protectors of the Church. They surmount the battleship Petropavlovsk represented in the lower part and referring to the Russian-Japanese war. Russia, Nicolas II period, circa 1904. H. 38 x W. 29 cm. Related work A similar icon was displayed at the exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Tsar Nicholas II and his family in 2018 at the Andrei Rublev Museum in Moscow. History The battleship "Petropavlovsk" was the first battleship built by the Imperial Russian Navy and the flagship of the 1st Pacific Squadron during the Russo-Japanese War. It sank on 31 March 1904 while passing over a mine off Port Arthur. This great human and material loss affected Russia greatly. Therefore, this icon is characteristic of the artistic production during the reign of Tsar Nicholas II, as it makes a direct link between military events and the Orthodox faith. Икона святителя Николая в окружении апостолов Петра и Павла над броненосцем Петропавловск. Дерево, темпера, с изображением в центре покровителя царя Николая II в окружении двух апостолов-защитников по обеим сторонам. В нижней части изображен линкор Петропавловск - отсылка к русско-японской войне. Россия, период правления Николая II, около 1904 года. 38 х 29 см.