Russian Eastern Orthodox icon, 1800s
In 1891 George Kunz, an agent for Tiffany and Company, was sent to Russia to acquire exotic arts and crafts for American collectors. Among his purchases were 350 copper-alloy icons that reflected the persistence of Eastern Orthodox worship practices formally abandoned in the late 1600s. Smithsonian curators bought many of these for the new religious history collection.
See also:
Religious History
