Lot 114A
Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. early 20th century CE. Finely delineated in egg tempera on wood, an icon depicting the Arab physicians Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, who were known as the Anargyroi because they treated patients without asking for payment. The two saints stand slightly turned towards the center of the icon, holding boxes with medicines and cross-tipped spoons for dispensing them. They are dressed in Byzantine secular garments of similar alternating colors: a long tunic with tight sleeves under a shorter dalmatica (wide-sleeved tunic), both edged in gold coloring and wrapped with a himation (cloak). The iconography of the icon follows a long-established Byzantine tradition: a frontal depiction of Saints Kosmas and Damian is found in the 12th-century frescoes of the Church of Hagioi Anargyroi in Kastoria. Size: 7.5" W x 9" H (19 cm x 22.9 cm)
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, like this example, are also encased in precious metal covers (oklads); some are 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 oftentimes described as "windows into heaven."
Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection; ex-D. Meyerson Estate, California, acquired 1980s to 1990s
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#190921
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Condition:
- Lower back slat is loose. Areas of repainting, but otherwise in very good condition with nice craquelure and light patina.
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