LOT 102
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Lot 102
A LARGE AND SCARCE RUSSIAN ICON OF THE ZHIROVITSY MOTHER OF GOD, 19TH CENTURY. In 1470, near the village of Zhirovitsy in the environs of Grodno, which was then part of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy (modern day Belarus), in a forest owned by an Orthodox nobleman by the name of Alexander Soltan, a pair of shepherds were surprised by a bright light penetrating through the branches of a wild pear tree. When they approached the tree, they saw a small round icon of the Mother of God in its branches. The shepherds knelt before the holy image and then took it off the tree and brought it to the nobleman who did not pay heed to the shepherd’s story and locked the icon in a casket. On the following day he told his guests about the icon and opened the casket, but it appeared to be empty. A few days later, the shepherds found the icon in the same tree and once again brought it to their Master. He built a church on the site of the appearance. In 1560 the church burned down, but the holy image survived the fire and was found at the foot of a mountain, standing on a large rock. Soon a stone church was built there and subsequently a monastery was founded next to it. In 1613, the cloister was captured by the Uniates, who possessed it until 1839. In 1730, the icon was crowned according to the manner of the Western Church. 30 inches x 23.5 inches (76 x 60 cm).
Estimate:
$4,000 - 6,000
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