Clinton museum returns rare Russian icons
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism via Flickr
16 icons that had been on display at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton have been returned to Russia for inspection.
A misunderstanding that led Russian officials to believe 16 rare and historic icons had been lost has been resolved as the Museum of Russian Icons has sent the pieces back to Russia to be examined and ultimately returned to the Clinton museum that owns them.
The icons were legally purchased in 2010 by museum founder Gordon Lankton, according to a release from the museum. The misunderstanding stemmed from regulations requiring any Russian icon more than 100 years old be returned to the country for inspection at a predetermined date, therefore only being exported on a temporary basis. When the icons were not returned by Nov. 15, they were presumed missing.
“It has always been our intent to return the icons for inspection once we knew where they were to be shipped,” Kent Russell, curator and CEO of the Museum of Russian Icons, said in a statement, explaining there was a miscommunication with the private museum the organization established in Russia that had been handling the status for the icons.
The icons have now been sent for their assessment in Russia, with the museum intending to immediately apply for another temporary export license to return them to the museum where they were part of an exhibit titled “From Russia With Love.”
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