A Russian Easter Egg, Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, St Petersburfg, ca 1890.

The icon-painter Osip Semenovich Chirikov

Osip (Iosip) Semenovich Chirikov of the Mstera School is considered one of the foremost 19th century icon painters in Russia. Amongst Chirikov's most prestigious commissions were the icons he painted on behalf of the Imperial Family. In 1887-1888, the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory commissioned a series of paintings from Chirikov, which were to be used as models for the highly prized and intricately decorated porcelain eggs that were traditionally given as Easter gifts in Russia. The motifs of the paintings illustrated the twelve feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as 18 saints. Tsar Alexander III took a special interest in the project and personally approved the final paintings. The choice of Chirikov as the artist is a testament to the tastes of the emperor as well as his profound faith. Alexander III preferred artists who followed the Old Russian icon painting traditions and took meticulous care to respect the orthodox iconography. Chirikov's paintings came to serve as models for a number of painted porcelain eggs created in the studios of the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory during the last decade of the 19th century.