Lot 256
A RUSSIAN ICON OF THE NATIVITY, CIRCLE OF MIKHAIL NESTEROV, CIRCA 1890.  Here the Virgin Mary, Joseph and the infant Christ are shown at the mouth of a cave, and in the foreground shepherds pay homage to the newborn king. In the distant sky the star of Bethlehem shines, silhouetting the palm trees depicted at right. The gold-leafed borders ornately incised and the lower central margin inscribed with the title ROZHDESTVO KHRISTOVO – the Birth of Christ. The edge of the icon faintly inscribed in Cyrillic, Mikhail Nesterov. The size and shape of the panel would suggest that the icon was once possibly part of a festival row in a small iconostasis, perhaps a private chapel. 13.25 inches x 19.25 (34 x 49 cm).
Estimate:  $3,000 - 4,000   € 2,310 - 3,080

Price Realized: $6,600.00

The offered icon is an ideal example of the new style of Neo-Byzantine and Neo-Slavic iconography that emerged and entered the scene at the end of the 19th century, of the type cultivated at the famous Abramstevo Art Colony. One of the first great internationally acclaimed displays of such iconography were the icons created for the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Kiev, executed  by both Mikhail Nesterov and Victor Vasnestov and later the Church of the Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg. Our icon breaks from all the well-established and traditional old styles of iconography and as such was considered by some iconophiles as heretical. However, the style was an overwhelming success with consumers and subsequently continued to grow in popularity.