Russian school, workshops of the Old Believers, 18th cent. 18TH CENTURY. "Saint Venerable Macarius of Zheltovodsk". 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, workshops of the Old Believers, 18th cent. 18TH CENTURY. "Saint Venerable Macarius of Zheltovodsk". Tempera on panel. Measurements: 39 x 33 cm. Venerable Saint Makarii was the founder of two monasteries of the Trinity: the Holy Trinity monastery of Makaryev on the banks of the Volga and the monastery of Unzhensk on the banks of the river Unzh. The saint was commemorated by Patriarch Philaret in 1619. Both monasteries were rebuilt in stone in the 17th century, following the pilgrimage of Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov to the relics of the monk Makarii at the Trinity Monastery in Unzhensk. From the mid-17th century onwards the iconographic canon of the saint's depiction was established. Saint Macarius is depicted against the background of one of the monasteries he founded, with the Holy Trinity in the upper left corner. In the case of the icon of interest, the female monastery of the Holy Trinity in Makariev, located on the banks of the Volga, appears in the background. In the central register of the icon, the anonymous painter shows the walled building in a panoramic view, as well as the general architectural structure of the monastery, which has remained almost intact to this day. This icon has a double border, or frame. In the first, closest to the central image, nine hagiographic scenes can be distinguished, recounting the main passages in the life of the Venerable Makarii, connected with the construction and fate of the monastery on the banks of the Volga River. They are to be read like a book, starting from the upper left corner and ending in the lower right corner. In 1439 the territory where Makarii erected the first chapel of the monastery was attacked by the Kazan Tatars. Makarii, together with his followers, was taken prisoner, and was brought to Kazan. A year later he was released and he helped to save the rest of his companions who remained imprisoned by the Tartars. He was ninety years old at the time. After burying the monks who had fallen victim to the Tartar attack, Makarii and his followers began a life of pilgrimage, until they settled on the bank of the Unzha River, where Makarii founded his second monastery. Makarii died at the age of ninety-five in the Unzhensk monastery. He was transferred in 1671, his relics are in the monastery where he died, but his head is in the Holy Trinity monastery on the bank of the Volga. Makarii was highly revered by the ancient believers. The icon of interest has a number of details, which indicate that it belongs to the workshops of the Old Believers. The abundance of inscriptions on the outer border explaining what is happening in the images, the two-fingered blessing, and the eight-pointed crosses are among the features that indicate this provenance.
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