Across the corner from the four-acre 150 years old Common, in Clinton, Massachusetts, stands the Russian Icons Museum. Created single-handedly by Gordon B. Lankton, it grew out of passion for Icon collecting. Mr. Lankton, owned a factory and business near what is now the Museum; when he sold it, he built the Museum to share his love of Russian Icons with the public. There are more than 1000 icons and artifacts in the Russian Icons Museum's collection, you can see 250 or so during a typical visit. The Saint John the Baptist icon, dated 1450, being the oldest.
When standing in front of an icon, you are looking at a religious object, an art object and a reflection of the Russian soul. Russian icons are typically painted on wood, often small, though some in churches and monasteries may be much larger. Many religious homes in Russia have icons hanging on the wall in the krasny ugol, the "red" or "beautiful" corner. The Museum exhibits some very large ones and many smaller ones. Icons are considered to be the Gospel in paint, and therefore careful attention is paid to ensure that the Gospel is faithfully and accurately conveyed. There are far more varieties of icons of the Virgin Mary in Russian icon painting and religious use than of any other figure; Marian icons are commonly copies of images considered to be miraculous, of which there are hundreds. "The icons of Mary were always deemed miraculous, those of her son rarely so"
[ Most of the information above is drawn from the Museum's Website and Russian icons]