LOT 227
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Lot 227
A DEVOTIONAL RUSSIAN ICON OF THE DEISIS. The word Diesis is Greek in origin and is generally translated as meaning prayer or supplication. In iconography it relates to images which depict Christ at center with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Forerunner (Baptist) on either side, interceding with Him on behalf of humanity, beseeching Him for mercy. While the offered icon clearly reflects the 16th century Moscow style, it was most likely executed in the 19th century, perhaps for an Old Believer as the blessing hand of St. John is configured in the manner favored by them. In his autobiographical trilogy, My Apprenticeship, author Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) writes about working in an icon workshop in Nizhniy Novgorod, which specialized in painting icons in the old style to satisfy the demand for “pure” icons from the Starovery who came to the Nizhny Novgorod market each weekend. Gorky even relates that not only was it common to paint an icon on an old board in the old style as favored by the Old Believers, but it was also not uncommon to try and artificially age them by placing them in the chimney so as to darken, thereby giving the appearance of an icon which had yet been corrupted by Western influences. 4.1 inches x 10.4 inches (10.3 cm x 26.5 cm).
Estimate:
$1,000 - 1,500
€ 740 - 1,100
All items are sold “AS IS” and there will be no returns based on condition. The items sold are often of considerable age and will exhibit wear, usage and damage often not listed in the catalog entry. The absence of condition remarks in the catalog entry DOES NOT mean the item is in perfect condition. Prospective buyers are in ALL CASES responsible for determining the physical condition of lots. No employee or agent of Jackson's International Auctioneers and Appraisers is authorized to make on our behalf or on that of the consignor any representation or warranty, oral or written, with respect to any property. Therefore, if a prospective bidder has not examined the property to their satisfaction before the sale, or his/her agent has not inspected the property, Jackson's recommends that they not bid on the property. All dimensions are approximate. The condition of frames is not guaranteed.