182. Icon Saint Simeon Stolpnik in silver cover with enamel. Semyon Galkin. The end of the XIX - the beginning of the XX century.

The Russian icon St. Simeon the Stylite was created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in Moscow. The image depicts the saint in monastic attire, offering a prayer to God. In the upper left corner is God the Father, sending down a blessing. The background of the composition is decorated with architectural elements in the traditional Orthodox style.The image is made in the academic style typical of Moscow icon-painting workshops of the late 19th century. The icon is enclosed in a gilded silver frame made by the workshop of the Semyon Galkin factory. The frame is an example of high jewelry art: it is decorated with relief chasing, hand engraving and enamels. The crown of the saint, inlaid with colored enamel, creating a shining effect, deserves special attention. Materials and technique: Board, gesso, egg tempera, silver of the 84 assay value, gilding, enamel, casting, chasing, sawing, hand engraving with a graver, chiselling, grinding, polishing, finishing, mounting, velvet.Hallmarks: Master`s name SG - Semyon Grigorievich Galkin. Silver assay mark 84 with an image of a woman`s head in a kokoshnik, facing left with the initials of the assay master IL (Ivan Sergeevich Lebedkin, Moscow, appointed in 1899).Dimensions: Height: 22 cm. Width: 18 cm.Condition: The icon is in excellent collectible condition.

Historical background:Semyon Galkin and Pyotr Grigorievich Galkin are brothers, owners of a trading house and a gold and silver goods factory founded in 1890. The factory operated until 1917 and was famous for its craftsmanship. In 1898, 48 workers and 12 teenagers worked in production. In 1895-1897, the brothers owned a jewelry store on Pokrovka Street, and the factory itself was located in Maryina Roshcha. In 1897, production volume was 50 thousand rubles.By 1904, 116 people worked at the enterprise, and in 1909 - 79 workers, with an annual turnover of 175 thousand rubles. In 1913-1917, the trading house was located on Sheremetyevskaya Street, building 11, in Maryina Roshcha. The products of the Galkin factory were distinguished by their high quality, complexity of execution and rich decoration, which makes them popular among collectors and connoisseurs of Russian jewelry art.