Icon - Our Lady of Smolensk (Smolenskaya) - Wood

Russian icon – Mother of God of Smolensk (Smolenskaya) – 19th century Origin: Russia Dating: 19th century Technique: Tempera on wooden panel Dimensions: 31 × 27 cm A beautifully executed Russian Orthodox icon from the 19th century, depicting the Mother of God of Smolensk (Smolenskaya Bogomater), one of the traditional variants of the Hodegetria type, in which Mary points with her hand to Christ as the way to salvation. The Mother of God is depicted half-length, dressed in a dark brown to black maphorion, adorned with golden stars and decorative borders. Her head is slightly inclined toward the Christ Child, who sits on her left arm. Christ wears a reddish-brown garment with fine, light folds and makes a blessing gesture with his right hand. Both figures are endowed with richly worked nimbuses, with fine geometric and radiant ornamentation. The background has a golden hue and is decorated with decorative patterns. Around the scene there is a broad, geometrically painted border with stylized floral and diamond motifs in red, black and ochre-yellow. The refined facial expressions, elongated features, and warm color palette are characteristic of traditional Russian icon painting. The combination of the restrained subject matter and the richly decorated background gives the icon a particularly decorative character. On the back there is an old handwritten label in Cyrillic script, referring to the Mother of God of Smolensk. This forms an interesting historical documentary element. Condition: The icon is in an authentic, age-related state with visible craquelé, localized wear, small paint losses, and damage to the painted edges. The central depiction is largely well preserved. An attractive and characterful Russian icon from the 19th century, with a traditional depiction of the Mother of God and a richly decorated surround.

Estimation:€1,400

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