Russian school, ca.1600. "Saint Matthew and Saint Luke. Tempera on panel.

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RUSSIAN ICONS

By Setdart Auction House

Sep 23, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-09-23 10:00:00 2021-09-23 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : RUSSIAN ICONS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/russian-icons-7431
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• Lot Description
  Russian school, ca.1600. "Sant Mateo and San Lucas. Tempera on panel. Measurements: 56.5 x 35 cm and 55.5 x 35 cm. The pair of icons on auction shows Saint Matthew and Saint Luke, two of the Four Evangelists together with Saint Matthew and Saint John the Apostle. Both panels, whose similar morphology indicates that they were executed by the same anonymous artist, follow the usual arrangement established for the representation of the Evangelists in Russian iconography. Thus, both figures are presented seated in the foreground on a perfectly delineated stone bench. While Saint Luke writes his Gospel, Saint Matthew reads his Scriptures. On the backs of both are figures of winged angels, in the case of Luke symbolising the tetramorph of the prophet Ezekiel and in the case of Mark, the angel who guides him; in the background are two architectural structures framing the figures of the Evangelists. In terms of workmanship and aesthetics, this pair of panels can be dated to around 1600, the period when the art of icons flourished in Russia, when the most famous painters of ancient Russia, Theophanes the Greek, Andrei Rubliov and Dionysius, created their masterpieces. The present lot is therefore in the orthodox tradition. They are dominated by the use of red (symbolising love but also the blood and suffering of Christ) or gold (the colour of God and his light). Saint Matthew the Evangelist was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, and the author according to Christian tradition of the Gospel that bears his name. He is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, and also in the Gospel of Luke, under the name of Levi. Matthew is identified with a winged man or angel, a symbol of the tetramorph of the prophet Ezekiel. This association is due to the fact that his Gospel begins with a review of the genealogy of Christ, the Son of Man and also the Son of God. Saint Luke the Evangelist is considered by Christian tradition to be the author of the Gospel that bears his name, and also of the Acts of the Apostles. He was Paul's beloved physician, though not an apostle of Jesus, of probable Syrian origin, possibly converted to the Christian faith when the followers of Jesus, persecuted in Jerusalem and Caesarea, sought refuge outside Palestine, carrying with them the message of Christ. The first portrait of the Virgin is also attributed to him and he is considered the patron saint of painters.
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