Paris – From a Greek private collection, an Icon of the Jerusalem Mother of God, signed, dated and inscribed 1713 painted by Monk Korniliy Ulanov sold for €698,900 yesterday against an estimate of €30,000 to 50,000 at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris (30 October 2025). This is an auction record price for the artist. In 1709, Kirill Ulanov, a former commissioned icon painter of the Armoury Chamber, left Moscow and took monastic vows under the name Korniliy at the Trinity Krivoezerskaya Hermitage near Yuryevets, where he continued his fruitful work.

The attribution to Kirill (Cornelius) Ulanov is confirmed by an inscription on the lower border, to the right: 1713. Painted by the monk Cornelius Ulanov. The artistic techniques - bold, sculptural facial features and sharp contrasts of light and shadow in a "lifelike" manner, also align with both the style of the Moscow Armoury Chamber in its later phase and Ulanov's individual manner, known from other signed and dated works.

A copy of the icon, which had acquired renewed veneration following the restoration, could have been commissioned from Ulanov either as a donation to a church or for private devotional use. The latter is suggested by the fact that no later than the mid-18th century, the icon was fitted with a chased silver oklad featuring a halo and adorned with depictions of the four prophets and four evangelists. Likely at the same time, a kiot with folding doors was made, bearing images of the Annunciation in the upper sections and twelve other feast - day scenes.

Zoomorphic works of art were offered at auction at Classics sales at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris on 30 and 31 October. A rare pair of Meissen Indian ring-necked parakeets, circa 1741-45, modelled by J.J. Kaendler, each perched on a high tree-stump applied with cherries, flowers, and insects sold for €102,000, twice its pre-sale estimate. A rare and important Strasbourg boar's head tureen, circa 1750 sold for €95,650.

Nette Megens, Bonhams Director of Decorative Arts for Europe and UK, said: "This auction offered the best of the best in decorative arts at every pricepoint. We were particularly delighted to present two private collections of Gold Boxes and Vertu which contained several highlights such as a very rare and newly discovered 18th century Peruvian gold box which sold for €28,160 and a group of boxes now attributable to the Berlin makers Frères Jordan. Bonhams Classics sales globally and in Paris continue to grow from strength to strength. We are very grateful to the collectors who bid enthusiastically and look forward to our series of sales in London in December."

Other highlights of the sale include:

• A Meissen two-handled oval dish from the Swan Service, circa 1740, modelled by J.F. Eberlein, sold for €38,400. A dish of a larger size is in the National Museum, Stockholm

• From the Carlo Colli Collection of Doccia Porcelain, a Doccia white figure of the Doctor, circa 1748, modelled in the white by Gaspero Bruschi, sold for €24,320. A smaller, painted version of the Doctor is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

• Formerly in the collection of Raymond Pelgrims de Bigard, Comte de Bigard (1875-1955), Chateau de Grand Bigard, Dilbeek in Belgium, an Important three-masted boat in 925°/°° silver and vermeil Hanau, circa 1910 by Georg Roth & Co. with an import hallmark of London 1913, silversmith: Berthold Hermann Muller sold for €37,120.

• A rare early 18th Century Peruvian gold snuff box, unmarked, circa 1725-1750 engraved of Baroque stylised animals around a stylised scallop shell, each corner capped with cartouches with further stylised animals, the underside with an engraved scene of a Bird hunt sold for €28,160.