PARIS, April 10. /TASS/. The Amis du Louvre association has acquired and donated to the Louvre in Paris an icon that once belonged to Russian Emperor Nicholas II, AFP reported.
"The icon, a triptych about 30 centimeters high, is crafted in the shape of an Orthodox church and adorned with precious stones. It was purchased for €2.2 million," said Sebastien Fumaroli, deputy director general of the association, as quoted by the news agency.
The Louvre noted that "this icon will be the centerpiece of the museum's new department, given its historical significance and the fact that it is the work of one of the most renowned jewelers of the House of Faberge."
The icon was created in 1895 by Mikhail Perkhin, a master jeweler of the House of Faberge. It was presented to Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra Fyodorovna, by the St. Petersburg aristocracy to commemorate the birth of their daughter, Grand Duchess Olga.
The icon later became part of the historical collection of the A La Vieille Russie Gallery, hosted by Paris and New York at various times. The gallery acquired the piece during the sale of Romanov family property by the Bolsheviks following the 1917 revolution. The icon was put out for public display only once - in 1977, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The Louvre’s new department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian art is scheduled to open in 2027.