Lot 69
A RUSSIAN ICON OF CHRIST, 16TH CENTURY, MOSCOW, AND RESET INTO A LATER PANEL. Here Christ is depicted in the standard composition known as the Lord Almighty (Gospod Vsederzhitel) or often by its Greek name Pantocrator. The title is derived from the Book of Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega says the Lord, Who Is, Who Was, and Who Is To Come, the Almighty". Christ delivers a blessing with His right hand and holds an open book of Gospels which exhibits traces of an inscription from Matthew 11:28. This particular triangular composition, in which the hand of Christ is held low and partially obscured by his outer garment and the book of Gospels rendered relatively (proportionally) small, was a common configuration in early icons of this subject. The modeling and white highlights are also typical of this period. 12.25 inches x 10.25 inches (31 x 26 cm).
Estimate:  $3,000 - 5,000   € 2,100 - 3,500

Price Realized: $4,320.00

By the 19th century, the practice of extending the life of an old icon by resetting into a later panel had become a common method in which to preserve earlier icon specimens whose outer boarder had deteriorated to such an extent that the icon was essentially unusable. This was particularly the case for icons which held great sentimental value or having been donated to a church or chapel by a distinguished person or having been passed down through numerous generations.

Comparison:
See Valentina. I. Antonova, Old Russian Art from the Collection of Pavel Korin, Iskusstvo Publishing, Moscow, 1960, page 55, plate 40, which shows a nearly identical icon dated to the 16th century.