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Russia, ca. 19th century CE. The Virgin of the Sweet Kiss is a subject that derives from a prototype purportedly painted by Saint Luke at Ephesus, and believed to be the first icon depicting the Virgin Mary that Prince Vladimir brought to Kiev in 988. This superb Mother of God of Kholm is fitted with an impressive gilded silver oklad that adds a sculptural aspect to the robes and halos of the Virgin and Child as well as those of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, in addition to providing a breathtaking floral and 'beaded' border. Size: 12.5" W x 14.75" H (31.8 cm x 37.5 cm)

Characteristic of a Mother of God icon, this piece presents the intensely expressive visages of Mary and baby Jesus, their pristine oval faces juxtaposed closely as the Child presses his cheek against his mother’s, the Virgin’s protective, maternal gaze revealing a bittersweet awareness of her son’s fate, returned by Jesus’ sweet, trusting innocence. Their playful hand gestures complements the emotional aspect of this composition.

The icon is fitted with a stunning silver oklad, adding a three-dimensional quality to the image - the haloes in repousse, detailed with radiating rays nestled with leaf and pearl drop motifs, their cloaks seemingly of billowing fabrics with cascading folds, the Virgin's lined with a beaded border. That same beaded border frames their union and is echoed on the perimeter of the piece. Flanking the Virgin and Child are John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. The margin of the frame is further adorned in chaise and repousse with finely executed floral elements.

The oklad or riza, sometimes referred to as a revetment in English, is a metal cover 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.



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)

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#119534

Painted image shows nice craquelure. Age cracks, losses, and a few piercings on verso. Back slats intact. Oklad shows some bent areas, losses to silver 'beads' surrounding Virgin's halo, losses to peripheries wrapped around the sides, and expected tarnish.