Russian Icons - a fake?
 

Here it seems, did the lion's share of icons exported to the West, are fakes??

Russian icons sold by the Bolsheviks in the West - mostly fakes


 25/11/2011
News Arts and Antiques
Moreover, these icons and resold as genuine today as Western experts do not receive information about scams, conducted by the Soviet government. The secrets of these and many other works of art will be revealed in a sensational book, "Sold Art of Russia", which will be released in New York next year. Yuri Pyatnitsky, senior researcher in the Department of the East Hermitage preparing materials for the section of the sale of icons.

 According to him, archival documents of the state company "Antiques", which was engaged in selling works of art abroad, has not yet been declassified, but occasionally there are paper, allowing partial reconstruct the course of historical events of 1920-1930's. In 1918 at the Department for Museums and Monuments Protection, which was headed by NI Trotskaya (Sedov), wife of Leon Trotsky, was founded by a special Commission for the Conservation of Ancient Monuments and disclosure of painting. The official task of the commission - finding and maintaining church property, the informal - the seizure and selling them abroad to replenish the coffers of the Soviet government. Experts evaluated the findings before which was a difficult choice: if the price is called the true object of art, it sold to foreigners, if the value of understated - icons destroyed.

 In 1929, the "Antiques" organized an exhibition of ancient icons, which was exhibited in Germany, England, Austria and the United States. Its purpose was to prepare the Western market to the flow of antique goods from Russia, then these things are sold as belonging to the emigrants. The items removed at the time, now exhibited in the best museums of the world: for example, a fragment of the altar with the image of the gates of St. John the Evangelist is stored in the Louvre.

 For sale by the Government of the icons involved in the so-called "Ofen" - craftsmen and restorers. They are easily converted to an instance of XVIII or XIX century in the XV and even the subject of the XIV century. "Ofen" also participated in expeditions to the Russian province in search of works of applied art. The collected data, two-thirds of the icons, sold to the West, are not the originals.

http://auctionlot.info/ru/view_325_news.html

Interestingly, while implying that conclusion?

From this it?

 
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Maybe for their own comfort, that a lot of icons masterpiece level there in the West.

Something here is not that ... What does the Ofen - traders - peddlers ? In any cases in this topic began suddenly at the Department of East Hermitage ( it would be of Chinese silk, ceramics , or write? ), And most importantly - no evidence . Not a single reference to the serious ekpertizy ...
The fact that the Bolsheviks were selling antiques for gold - has long been known, but the icons about fakes anything as long as no leaks.

The above text - November -old , was taken from here:
http://auctionlot.info/ru/view_325_news.html

U.S. private antique site is not a source for me is not a source of reliable information.

In my opinion , this is a " cast ". And they not hence his feet grow?
http://www.mag-art.ru/forum/viewtopi...d01808eec4910d

For several years, "grow legs ". Location - I do not know , but often in different topics there is a journalist and that " the Bolsheviks were selling fakes to the West ."

From general subject came up - I - I understand , but here are some organizations , " Ofen " the gang of aging of the icons "XVIII and XIX century in the XV and even the subject of the XIV century " - is, of course, nonsense.

And what was the meaning to write and sell a fake, if the originals were a surprising number, and then bolshiviki particularly disliked the icon ...

No.
Yes, and it was not - no special icons did not forge for sale in the West.

On this subject there is an interesting book Teteryatnikova "Icons and fakes."
About Teteryatnikove - http://skurlov.blogspot.com/2010/01/19382000.html

It is hard to imagine the Bolshevik government, the 20th of years have not yet osoznavashee a "forever", and essentially consists of a gang, seizing up of power - as the organizers of clandestine artisanal production of false icons. Their task in the early years was sov.vlasti amass by robbery as much as possible and wherever possible.
Ostyuda and the confiscation of church valuables, gold, gems and silver, as well as the expropriation of property of the museum.
But even with all this they were able to sell the antiques abroad only 20 million gold rubles, while the system is Torgsin (jewelry and coins in exchange for food - annotated. For youth <! - ~ 1 ~ ->) gave 270 million. Is there a difference?
Who would have occurred to perelitsovyvat icons, of which there was then in bulk, or to send buyers to the villages of icons? In places without roads, communications? Yes, and would not have to buy - want to be there and taken away for free, good to have left to live.
Shorter. Complete nonsense. On another occasion, the writer of legends such as "it's not us falshakov made, and the Bolsheviks," the story to brush up a little in the way.

Posted 7 minutes
khmelev, gave a very interesting link, thank you! By the way, there are very curious about Torgsin information.

Hannah whole collection actually consists of copies of the icons from the Tretyakov Gallery.
And they are made at one time.
Sold by the Soviet authorities officially authorized for such activity.