Please note that this lot, like all of our auction lots, can sell to the highest bidder without any hidden confidential reserve price - happy bidding!

Russia, ca. 19th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera on wood and fitted with a striking silver oklad, an icon of Christ Pantokrator presenting an open Gospel in his left hand, the fingers of his right hand giving benediction, arranged to form the initials of Christ’s monogram, IC XC, and flanking his head, Mary and Joseph carrying unfurled scrolls. The silversmith who created this oklad truly outdid himself, delineating the cascading folds of Christ's vestments, the intricate patterns of the fabric meticulously detailed! Size: 15.75" W x 19.5" H (40 cm x 49.5 cm)

And let's not overlook the stunning gilded silver haloes of Christ, Mary, and Joseph, their unfurled scrolls and Jesus' open book. Surrounding the composition is an integral 'frame' comprised of floral and leaf motifs. The oklad or riza, sometimes referred to as a revetment in English, is a metal cover, in this case silver, that not only protects the icon, but also serves to honor or venerate the figure(s) depicted on the icon. Oklads are usually adorned with repousse work and pierced to reveal elements of the underlying painting. This artisan truly knew how to bring silver to life in a manner that both complements and uplifts the painted image.

The most accepted translation of Pantocrator is "Almighty" or "All Powerful" and the visage of Jesus certainly projects his omnipotence. This iconic depiction continues to be a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Christ gazes beyond the confines of the image, his head and hands finely delineated with graceful brushstrokes, a rendering aspiring to the naturalism sought in classical antiquity and the Renaissance, this surrounded by the gilded silver repousse nimbus, silver repousse robes and Gospel delineated on the oklad – resulting in a great contrast between naturalism and spiritual transfiguration. Similarly, the painted images of Mary and Joseph flanking Christ are also covered by the oklad that is pierced to reveal the heads and hands of the underpainting, providing another rich juxtaposition between the painted heads and hands and the gilded silver repousse haloes and silver repousse robes.



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.

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). 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-Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art, Charlotte, NC; exhibited at Mint Museum of Art "Windows Into Heaven", Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004)

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#119579

This icon was made from two conjoined pieces of wood. Note the x-shaped piece of wood serving to join the two planks. One is missing and over time some separation has resulted in a fissure down Christ's visage, but this could probably be corrected by a skilled conservator. Painted wood surfaces show some fissures and unevenness. The silver of the oklad has aged gracefully showing nice iridescence and expected tarnish.