Description:

Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 1889 CE. Finely painted in egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso atop wood, a beautiful icon depicting one of the holiest scenes in Christianity, the Annunciation, presenting the joy of the announcement of the coming of Christ. This example combines both Eastern and Western traditions. For example, in accordance to Russian Orthodox iconography, Gabriel is shown twice: the first represents him entering and the second shows him standing before Mary as he tells her the news. He is turned away as he is entering to allude to the Orthodox belief of Mary's Proto-Annunciation when Gabriel speaks invisibly to her at the well. On the table is a book, an element we often see in Western European Annunciation iconography, in which Mary is shown reading a holy book as Gabriel enters her room. Later Russian iconography (beginning in the 17th century) borrowed this from the West, whereas according to the earlier tradition, Mary was spinning the royal purple rather than reading a book when Gabriel appeared to her. Size: 8.5" W x 10.25" H (21.6 cm x 26 cm)

The presence of a book in the Annunciation is a Western element that developed during the Carolingian period (9th century C.E.), and was intended to represent Mary’s pious learning. The scene is set outdoors in a cityscape - a tradition of Old Believer icons - as God the Father is shown in the clouds above, sending down the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection, acquired in 2021 via Butterscotch Auctions, New York, USA; ex-private Patterson, New York, USA collection

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#190413

  • Condition: Some pressure fissures to wood on verso and some areas of staining and fading to pigments, but imagery is still clear. Small chip to gesso in lower right corner, as well as a few nicks to gesso on edges. Otherwise, intact and very nice with good remains of pigment, gilding, and detail. Cyrillic inscription on verso with date and suspension wire for display.

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December 6, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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