**Originally Listed At $1200**

Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 1881 CE. Beautifully painted in egg tempera and gold leaf on wood, fitted with a stunning silver hallmarked oklad, and set within a glass fronted wooden kiot, this Russian icon presents the Virgin Hodegetria ("She who shows the way"), the composition depicting the Mother of God holding the Christ child in one arm, as he makes a blessing gesture. Mary's veil is adorned with a triple, star-shaped cross, which is an ancient Syrian symbol of her virginity - before, during, and following the birth. On Christ's halo and the folded lower margin of the oklad are hallmarks: 84 indicating sterling silver and the year 1881 on Christ's halo; 84 indicating sterling silver, the assayer's mark (a backwards N followed by a K) over the year 1881, and a city mark that is tricky to see but seems to be the Moscow hallmark featuring St. George killing the dragon on the folded border. Size: 8.5" W x 10" H (21.6 cm x 25.4 cm)

The stunning silver oklad adds a three-dimensional quality to the image - the haloes raised and with decorative openwork borders, the Virgin and Child's cloaks seemingly of billowing fabrics with cascading folds, the Virgin's delineated with abstract floral and geometric motifs; Jesus' with a subtle dotted pattern; both with decorative borders. The pair's finely painted faces and the Christ Child's hand are visible through openings in the oklad, and the pair are presented in an oval integral to the oklad, around which is a border further adorned in repousse with finely executed geometric and floral elements. The verso is covered with rose/gold colored velvet, and the oklad-covered icon is set within a rectangular, glass fronted, wooden kiot.

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.

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. 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."

Provenance: ex-Francis & Lilly Robicsek collection, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

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#119477

The painted images are in very good condition. The oklad shows expected tarnish with minor bending and tiny fissures to the folded back border. Kiot shows losses to its veneer and has a large crack on the back panel. Its hinges are present and operational, but the clasp is missing its pin.