Auction of icons on Cyprus

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Orthodox Church in Cyprus is older than in Russia. According to legend, the Apostle Paul preached here and founded the first monastery of St. Helen, who brought to the island part of the Cross. However, its auction of icons there never has been - the Cypriot, Greek, Russian icons collectors traditionally bought at auctions and in galleries in Germany or in London. Tradition has decided to reverse an expert on Orthodox iconography Maria Pafiti, which has done such auctions, first in London, Christie `s, and then in London as Macdougall` s. Her gallery La Parole Divine, along with Cyprus Ledra Management will hold a trial auction in a hotel in Limassol.

Nearly one hundred and fifty lots in the auction catalog - is the art of "the Orthodox world, from the Cretan-Venetian" Our Lady of nursing, the second half of XVI century (estimate € 60-80 thousand), which looks almost a Renaissance painting, and stands on the brink of the Orthodox and Roman World to strictly canonical Russian Virgin. The chronological boundaries as wide - from a small post Byzantine "Christmas" in 1425, charming in its naive archaic (€ 18-24 thousand), to the mosaic face of Christ Pantocrator, established on Mount Athos in 1961 (€ 6-8 thousand) .

Among the most expensive Russian Icons - Two of Our Lady, "Murom" XVI century (€ 35-45 thousand) and "Vzygranie baby" XVII century (€ 40-50 thousand). Russian icon of the XVII century "Gerasim Jordan with a lion" - canonical, but rare image. The icon lion cinnabar tongue stretches out his paw holy monk, who took out her splinter (€ 50-60 thousand).

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At the auction there are many very modestly priced Russian icons, not so old, but interesting from the standpoint of rare iconography. For example, extremely rare "Virgin of the August", depicting the Virgin Mary with Child Russian troops during the First World War, under the Polish town of Augustow in commemoration of their victory four days later. " The icon visible officers and soldiers, litsezrevshie miracle, such images were writing only from 1915 to 1918 (€ 1,3-2,3 thousand). Very unusual is an icon board with the text of the prayers Iberian Icon of the Mother of God, presumably the XVIII century. The text takes on a board dominated, and in the upper part of the angels hold in their hands a little image of the Virgin (€ 2,5-3,5 thousand). Others are rare equipment, such as written in paint on papier-mâché "Lady of Aparecida Sergey Radonezhsky" (€ 2-2,5 thousand), the icon is created on the factory Lukutin, famous for its hand-painted boxes. A total of € 8-12 thousand estimated miniature 1860, representing the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna in the form of an angel with a censer and a candle. This is a copy of the paintings on the same subject brush Timothy Neff, in 1998 sold at Sotheby `s for £ 85 thousand; miniature belonged to Professor Adrian Prahova, art critic and historian.

Different faces of Russian icons - late icon, provincial schools - not always well known to viewers, and sometimes seem to be a revelation even museum workers and collectors. What to say about the Greek, Cypriot or icon of Asia Minor - so you see, unfortunately, only in exhibition catalogs (or auction). The striking combination of antiquity and the Renaissance can be seen in the Cretan folding the XVI century: the scene of the Transfiguration is written in the canon, in the reverse perspective, with steep "hill", just as it ages written and Russia. And another leaf, with the Secret Supper, written in the style of the European Renaissance, obviously, for some engraving; apostles sitting round the table, gesticulating violently, architecture is full of air and the volume (€ 28-35 thousand). Greek George kills the serpent, sitting on a horse in a complex "Baroque" pose (XVII Century, € 32-40 thousand), a repentant Peter wrung his hands in shame, hearing the cry of a red rooster ("Repentance of St. Peter, Greece, XVII Century).

Palestinian Topography of the Holy Land "- a sort of guide in pictures (€ 15-20 thousand). Large panel lined into fragments, in which - the temple of the Holy Sepulchre, with all its parts: the bottom - the baptism in the Jordan, Christmas in Bethlehem and the Battle of St. George with the serpent in the Lebanese mountains, at the top - Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and Noah's ark in the middle of an endless sea. All of this is "the Orthodox world" in the headline of the auction, only the eyes of an unknown folk artist of the XIX century.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=1358563

May 7
Hotel Le Méridien
Limassol, Cyprus


Auction bill
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