Lot 38
Russia, ca. 19th century CE. A large scale icon in egg tempera and gold leaf on wood depicting the monastic brothers Cyril and Methodius dressed in episcopal vestments with books and scrolls. Known for converting the Slavic peoples thanks to their invention of the Cyrillic alphabet, Pope John Paul II declared them patron saints of Europe in the 1980s. The pair stands in the foreground of an archway with a decorative border comprised of blue and white faux enamelwork and elaborate Russian strapwork patterns. Size: 22.5" W x 28" H (57.2 cm x 71.1 cm)
Characteristic of icons from this period, we see a rich blend of the aforementioned Russian decorative elements, Byzantine stylization, as well as Western European naturalism inspired by the artists of the Classical and Renaissance worlds. Notice how the saints' sensitively modeled and relatively realistic visages and hands contrast with the Byzantine-inspired rigid frontality and flatness of other elements of the composition. Then, like jewelry, the Russian faux enamelwork and strapwork patterns embellish the piece.
According to Curator Jeanne Marie Warzeski, "Methodius and Constantine (he did not take the name Cyril until just before his death) were Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessalonica in northern Greece in the early 800s. Being raised in an area with both Greek and Slavic speakers endowed the brothers with strong knowledge of the two languages. They became Christian missionaries among the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title Apostles to the Slavs. They are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first writing system used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic."
Exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) which presented highlights of one of the world's great artistic traditions through an extraordinary group of sixty-five 18th and 19th century Russian icons on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek as well as the exhibition of the same name at the North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina (October 4, 2013 through March 5, 2014). This icon was also published in the catalogue accompanying the North Carolina Museum of History exhibition (p. 8).
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). Some are framed by basma. The artist of this example elected to surround the arched composition in beautiful faux enamelwork. 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."
The Windows Into Heaven exhibition profiled a magnificent chapter of Russian artistry, the embrace of the Russian Orthodox faith of religious icons during the Romanov centuries. The Russian religious faith was an offshoot of Byzantine Christianity, which in 1054 parted ways from Roman Catholicism. Icons were and continue to be religious images created for veneration. As a focus for prayers and meditation for believers, icons serve as windows into heaven.
Provenance: Ex-Francis & Lilly Robicsek Collection, Charlotte, NC, part of the Museum Exhibition, Windows into Heaven - Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art, North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, NC. Published in the catalogue accompanying the North Carolina Museum of History exhibition (p. 13).
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#119601
- Condition: Losses to peripheries as shown. Fissure on front left resulting from seams of wood pieces emerging over time. Surface wear with losses to paint, gold leaf, and faux enamel as shown. Back slats still there but show a couple of nicks and perforations. Old inventory label on verso.
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