Lot 125
Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 19th century CE. A beautiful icon depicting Christ Emmanuel with an attractive brass oklad/riza. Christ is depicted with a youthful visage, his face and hands revealed through the oklad's openings. The icon is fitted with a stunning brass oklad, adding a sculptural aspect to the robe and halo of Christ Emmanuel - the halo detailed in repousse and His cloak seemingly of billowing fabrics with cascading folds - in addition to providing an attractive floral and beaded border. Size: 5.75" W x 7" H (14.6 cm x 17.8 cm)
The prophet Isaiah coined the term "Emmanuel" (7:14) which means "God is with us," and this icon captures that sense of immediate presence. According to Alfredo Tradigo in his "Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church," "We see not a child before us, but the mysterious, unknowable face of God, who is eternally young and old at once, as emphasized by the Church Fathers. The figure's young age stands not for the Child but, rather, for the incorruptible, timeless youth of the sacrificial Lamb, daily renewed on the altar in the bloodless sacrifice of the Eucharist." Tradigo continues to explain that the placement of an Emmanuel icon at the Cathedral of the Dormition in Moscow, in a Deesis over the northern doors of the iconostasis that lead to the prosthesis (the special room where these holy gifts are prepared) attests to this interpretation. (Tradigo, p. 227) The smooth-faced Christ Emmanuel is traditionally inserted in an angelic Deesis between Gabriel and Michael the holy archangels who protect the Divine Liturgy). In some cases a grand ensemble of angels forms an assembly around Emmanuel.
The oklad (also spelled oclad) or riza, sometimes referred to as a revetment in English, is a metal cover that not only protects the icon, but also serves to honor or venerate the figure(s) depicted on the icon. Oklads are usually adorned with repousse work and pierced to reveal elements of the underlying painting - as we see in this example.
Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Some icons are encased in precious metal covers (oklads) adorned with pearls and semi-precious stones or glass-fronted wooden cases (kiots). Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."
Provenance: private J.H. collection, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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#154787
- Condition: Oklad is in fine condition with some small areas of deposits and slight bending to peripheries. The icon itself has some tiny chips from the pigment but the figure is still very clear and there is excellent craquelure on the surface. The back is covered by a slightly worn cloth.
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