Russian school, of the Old Believers, XVIII century. "St. Nicholas Miraculous and his life in 16 hagiographic cells". Tempera, gold leaf on carved w

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OLD MASTERS

By Setdart Auction House

Nov 3, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-11-03 08:00:00 2021-11-03 08:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : OLD MASTERS https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/setdart-auction-house/old-masters-7786
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• Lot Description
  Russian school, of the Old Believers, XVIII century. "St. Nicholas Miraculous and his life in 16 hagiographic cells". Tempera, gold leaf on carved wood panel. It presents a crack in the board, and jumps in the painting and gilding. Measurements: 53 x 44 cm. Saint Nicholas Miraculous, as he is called in Russia, is the most beloved saint at the national level. Most of the churches have one or several icons of the saint, and he is the one who is asked for help in difficult life situations. The traditional representation of St. Nicholas is half frontal with the Gospel closed. The less frequent images are half frontal with the Gospel open, like the one we see in the icon of our interest. The page showing St. Nicholas is the beginning of his veneration. This type of iconography is known since the XIII century, but when it acquires more popularity is in the later periods between the XVIII and XIX centuries, which allows us to give a chronological approximation of the piece. The central representation of the saint is enclosed between 16 hagiographic cells, which tell of his life and miracles. The icon should be read from the upper left corner to the right corner, and then in the following order: the sixth image on the far left, the seventh on the far right, and so on, culminating with the sixteenth cell in the lower right corner. Each of the scenes is identified by the inscriptions on the frame. They are somewhat deteriorated, but the scenes can be read well, such as the birth of St. Nicholas, his baptism, several scenes of religious apprenticeship, his appointment as deacon in the fifth cell, followed by his appointment as priest, and then followed by seven scenes of miracles, culminating the composition with three scenes dedicated to the death and post mortem cult of St. Nicholas. In each of the corners of the icon rest the four evangelists. The pictorial quality of the miniatures stands out, they are a virtuoso architectural detailing. What is striking in this lot, apart from the open Gospel, is that the frame of the icon is carved. This is a characteristic feature of Old Believers icons, as are the side inscriptions in black ink, and the two-fingered blessing gesture of St. Nicholas. The Old Believers was a group of the Orthodox, who after Nikon's ecclesiastical reforms of 1654, have decided to follow their opponent Avvakum, defending the traditional foundations of the Orthodox Church. Fleeing persecution, they settled in the villages of Pomorie, near the Urals and in Siberia. The Faith of the Old Believers was legalized as early as 1905, boosting interest within the Russian Empire in the discovery of the national religious heritage, as well as developing the collecting of ancient icons, never experienced until then.
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