A fabulous gold and silver foiled icon on wood.

In the 1930's people came from all over the world to see the Alexander Palace and the rooms where the last Tsar and his tragic family lived.  Tourists reported one of the 'must see' places in the palace was the icon wall in the Imperial bedroom.  Over 300 icons hung here, many covered with silver, pearls and gemstones.  There were rare, ancient ikons and others that were painted in the last years of the Empire.  Some were by famous Russian artists, others were painted by humble monks and nuns.  Two beautiful ikon lamps with hanging gemstones illuminated the icons.  These lamps were lit with rose-scented olive oil.  Twenty years after the Romanovs were sent into Siberian exile and death you could still smell roses in this room and this made the room feel haunted.

The back wall was hung with pink silk and lace.  At the top was a big ikon of the Feodorovskaya Mother of God. This ikon was discovered in 1239 by Vasily Kvashnya, Prince of Kostroma, while he was hunting.  It was discovered in the Church of St. Feodor Stratilates and brought to the Ipatiev Monastery in Kostroma.  The first Romanov ruler of Russia, Michael, prayed befoire this icon at the time of his election to the throne and henceforth it became a symbol of the Romanov family and the crown itself.