The issues concerning the old Russian icons framed with gilt silver mountings, and the principles of their storage and restoration are among the most controversial in restoration practice. Two major approaches exist. The first consists of removing the mounting from the icon during the process of restoration and keeping it separately after the restoration is finished. This approach allows the detailed examination of the icon, its panel, textiles, and paint layers. However, because of its removal, the mounting loses its status as the attribute of the icon and as a work of art. The second approach recongises the icon's integrity to be dependent upon the existence of its mounting. This derives from the fact that the tradition of adorning the icons with gold and silver was one of the oldest in Christian art and played an important role in the way people perceived the holy images and regarded the icon's beauty and sacred strength. The author favours the second approach and stresses the importance of regarding the icon mountings as historic monuments and pieces of the artistic culture of their time. He considers the icons in silver mountings of the 16th century - the time when the tradition of decorating icons with silver was at its peak in Russia. -- ICCROM