Lot 459
A RUSSIAN ICON OF SAINT ARSENY KONEVSKY WONDERWORKER, 19TH CENTURY. Here Arseny, depicted in the garments of a senior monk wearing the Great Skema, is shown in front of the monastery he is credited with founding in the year 1393 on Konevets Island, some 160 kilometers north of St. Petersburg on Lake Ladoga. In the upper left corner is an image of the miracle working (Chudotvornya) icon of the Mother of God that Arseny is said to have brought with him from Mt. Athos. The entire image overlaid with a heavy silver repousse chased riza with attached gilded silver halo. Hallmarked St. Petersburg, dated 1842, Cyrillic makers mark ЛА, and 84 silver standard. The riza engraved with an inscription above the head of the saint identifying him as “The Holy Venerable Arseny of Konevets Wonderworker" and beneath the icon, The Konevets Icon of the Most Holy Mother of God. 7 inches x 4 inches (18 x 10 cm).
Estimate:  $1,000 - 1,500   € 700 - 1,050

Price Realized: $1,200.00

Although the monastery had been well functioning for over three centuries, it was not until the 19th century in which its fame became widespread. So much so that due to the influx of pilgrims and donations at the beginning of that century an extensive building project was undertaken and finished in 1809 with the completion of the Cathedral dedicated to the Birth of the Mother of God, and as depicted at center of the walled monastery in the offered icon. Visitors from far and wide came to the island refuge including such notables as Alexandre Dumas, Nikolai Leskov and Russian poet Fyodor Tyutchev who perhaps best described the unique character of Russia when he penned: “Who would grasp Russia with the mind? For her no yardstick was created: Her soul is of a special kind, By faith alone appreciated.” During the Soviet period, the monastery housed a military unit and was, for security reasons, removed from all maps. During that period the fabric of the monastery was completely destroyed. In 1990 it became one of the first monasteries in the region to be revived by the Russian Orthodox Church. In November 1991, the brethren announced the discovery of St. Arseny's relics that apparently had been hidden from the Swedes in 1573 and by 2004, the Konevsky Monastery, which hosts a large number of tourists and pilgrims, had been mostly restored. The offered icon is typical of the type acquired by Pilgrims who visited the monastery at its former zenith during the mid-19th century. For more information on the Konevets Monastery go to www. konevets.spb.ru.