Pair of gates, silver-gilt and iron, Kyiv, Alexis Timothy Ishenko, ca. 1784.

Formed as long doors, pierced and embossed with flowers, scrolls and shellwork, with three oval relief panels arranged vertically with scenes of the bible on each gate.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Provenance: the Church of the Exaltation of Cross, Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv. Purchased from the Goldschmidt Gallery, Berlin on 9 October 1935; William Randolph Hearst. San Simeon, California. Francis Stonor, London. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1972.

J & S Goldschmidt were a dynasty of Jewish art dealers. They enjoyed an outstanding international reputation and had even counted the Russian imperial family among their clients. In 1937, as part of a wider campaign to eliminate Jewish people from the art trade, the Reich Culture Chamber gave the company's directors, Julius and Arthur Goldschmidt, two months notice to give up their branches in Frankfurt and Berlin. By that time, they had already left Nazi Germany. Julius went to London, from where these gates were sold. Arthur immigrated to France, and eventually he and his wife escaped to Cuba.

This object formed part of the V&A's special provenance display 'Concealed Histories: Uncovering the Story of Nazi Looting' (December 2019 - June 2021)

This magnificent pair of gates was acquired, together with another pair (LOAN:GILBERT.97-2008) by Arthur Gilbert at the start of his collecting career, and formed part of the Monumental Silver exhibition held at LACMA in 1973. This example was made for the Church of the Exaltation of Cross, part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of Caves in Kyiv, a preeminent centre of Orthodox Christianity in eastern Europe since the 11th century.

The gates are among the finest, perhaps only, examples outside of Ukraine and the former Russian Empire.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.

LOAN:GILBERT.94:2-2008