1 Religious Icon, Northern Netherlandish School's Nativity, with footnotes #17

Northern Netherlandish School, circa 1500

The Nativity

Oil on panel

24¾ x 23 in. (62.8 x 58.4 cm.)

Private collection

This painted Nativity, which emphasises the humble nature of Christ’s birth, offers an intimate portrayal of the Holy Family. Kneeling in a ruined stable, the Virgin gazes devoutly down at the Christ Child, His small and vulnerable body resting on a fold of her drapery, while Joseph is shown removing his hat as a sign of reverence. Through the arch of the crumbling building, an angel announces Christ’s miraculous birth to shepherds on the hillside, two of whom have already come to witness the event: their strongly characterised faces can be seen peering through a window on the right. The original function of this panel is not known. It may have stood on its own as an aid for private devotion, or functioned as part of a larger ensemble: as the central panel of a triptych; or as one of the panels of a polyptych, depicting scenes from the life of Christ or the Virgin. More on this painting

Early Netherlandish painting is the work of artists active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance; especially in the flourishing cities of Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Louvain, Tournai and Brussels, all in contemporary Belgium. Their work follows the International Gothic style and begins approximately with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck in the early 1420s. It lasts at least until the death of Gerard David in 1523, although many scholars extend it to the start of the Dutch Revolt in 1566 or 1568 Early Netherlandish painting coincides with the Early and High Italian Renaissance but is seen as an independent artistic culture, separate from the Renaissance humanism that characterised developments in Italy. Because these painters represent the culmination of the northern European medieval artistic heritage and the incorporation of Renaissance ideals, they are sometimes categorised as belonging to both the Early Renaissance and Late Gothic. More on the Netherlandish School

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1 Religious Icon, Sano di Pietro's Saint Margaret, with footnotes #16

Sano di Pietro (Siena 1405-1481)

Saint Margaret

Gold ground panel, shaped top

13 x 8¾ in. (33 x 22.3 cm.)

Private collection

Margaret is celebrated as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20 and on July 17 in the Orthodox Church. Her historical existence has been questioned. She was declared apocryphal by Pope Gelasius I in 494, but devotion to her revived in the West with the Crusades. She was reputed to have promised very powerful indulgences to those who wrote or read her life, or invoked her intercessions; these no doubt helped the spread of her cultus.

She was a native of "Antioch" and the daughter of a pagan priest named Aedesius. Her mother having died soon after her birth, Margaret was nursed by a Christian woman five or six leagues from Antioch. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, Margaret was disowned by her father, adopted by her nurse, and lived in the country keeping sheep with her foster mother (in what is now Turkey). Olybrius, Governor of the Roman Diocese of the East, asked to marry her, but with the demand that she renounce Christianity. Upon her refusal, she was cruelly tortured, during which various miraculous incidents occurred. One of these involved being swallowed by Satan in the shape of a dragon, from which she escaped alive when the cross she carried irritated the dragon's innards. The Golden Legend, in an atypical passage of skepticism, describes this last incident as "apocryphal and not to be taken seriously". She was put to death in AD 304.

As Saint Marina, she is associated with the sea, which "may in turn point to an older goddess tradition," reflecting the pagan divinity, Aphrodite. More on Saint Margaret

Sano di Pietro or Ansano di Pietro di Mencio (1406–1481) was an Italian painter of the Sienese school of painting. He was active for about half a century during the Quattrocento period, and his contemporaries included Giovanni di Paolo and Sassetta.

Sano was born in 1406. His name enters the roll of painters in 1428 where it remained until his death in 1481. In addition to his own painting and overseeing the pupils and assistants in his workshop, Sano was also part of the civic fabric of Siena, in 1431 and 1442 he was the leader of the San Donato district of Siena. Sano was also employed as an arbitrator; in 1475 he was called upon to settle a dispute between fellow painters Neroccio di Bartolommeo and Francesco di Giorgio Martini.

It was, however, as a painter that he made his living. The workshop he ran produced huge number of artworks. He wasn't merely a painter of altar pieces. He also produced frescoes, miniatures, and book bindings. Sano died in 1481. More on Sano di Pietro

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05 Religious Ivory Carvings, Christ Blessing, the Crucifixion, the Virgin with Child and a saint flagellating himself and holding a crucifix, with footnotes #15

Probably West Germany second half 14th century

Christ Blessing,

Carved ivory figure

Height 12 cm.

Private collection

Estimated at 20.000 € - 25.000 € on 20.05.2023

Depiction of Christ enthroned and looking towards the viewer; His right hand raised in blessing, He also holds a chalice in His outstretched left hand, referring to the Eucharist. The high-quality ivory carving, designed for a frontal viewpoint, is particularly notable for the detailed observation of the folds of the long robe, which is surpassed only by the delicacy of the physiognomy and the locks of hair. More on this carving

Probably West Germany second half 14th century

Ivory reliefs of the Crucifixion

Carved ivory

11.8 x 7.9 cm.

Private collection

Estimated at 2.500 € - 3.000 € on 20.05.2023

Carved ivory with minute remains of former polychromy. High relief depiction of Christ crucified, flanked by His Mother and Saint John, beneath a Gothic architectural canopy.

Probably West Germany second half 14th century

Ivory reliefs of the Virgin with Child and the Crucifixion

Carved ivory

Each 9 x 4.3 cm.

Private collection

Estimated at 2.500 € - 3.000 € on 20.05.2023

Two small panels with relief depictions beneath Gothic architectural canopies. The rows of six regularly arranged drilled holes indicate a former use as mountings.

With small vertical cracks in the upper left and right.

Unknown artist

A saint flagellating himself and holding a crucifix, c. 1700

Ivory relief

7.5 x 5.3 cm.

Private collection

Ivory, carved in relief. Representation of a saint flagellating himself and holding a crucifix. In the lower area depiction of a skull (Memento-Mori). Several cherubim appear in the upper area. More on this relief

The Flagellation, in a Christian context, refers to an episode in the Passion of Christ prior to Jesus' crucifixion. The practice of mortification of the flesh for religious purposes has been utilised by members of various Christian denominations since the time of the Great Schism in 1054. Nowadays the instrument of penance is called a discipline, a cattail whip usually made of knotted cords, which is flung over the shoulders repeatedly during private prayer.

In the 13th century, a group of Roman Catholics, known as the Flagellants, took self-mortification to extremes. These people would travel to towns and publicly beat and whip each other while preaching repentance. The nature of these demonstrations being quite morbid and disorderly, they were during periods of time suppressed by the authorities. They continued to reemerge at different times up until the 16th century. Flagellation was also practised during the Black Plague as a means to purify oneself of sin and thus prevent contracting the disease. Pope Clement VI is known to have permitted it for this purpose in 1348. More on Flagellation

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1 Religious Icon, Bartolo di Fredi's Saint Anthony Abbot, with footnotes #14

Bartolo di Fredi

Saint Anthony Abbot

Tempera on panel, gold ground, a fragment, unframed

38.5 by 33 cm.; 15 1/8  by 13 in.

Private collection

Saint Anthony or Antony (251–356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony by various epithets: Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, and Anthony of Thebes. For his importance among the Desert Fathers and to all later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. His feast day is celebrated on January 17 among the Orthodox and Catholic churches and on Tobi 22 in the Egyptian calendar used by the Coptic Church.

The biography of Anthony's life by Athanasius of Alexandria helped to spread the concept of Christian monasticism, particularly in Western Europe via its Latin translations. He is often erroneously considered the first Christian monk, but as his biography and other sources make clear, there were many ascetics before him. Anthony was, however, the first to go into the wilderness, a geographical move that seems to have contributed to his renown. Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural temptation during his sojourn in the Eastern Desert of Egypt inspired the often-repeated subject of the temptation of St. Anthony in Western art and literature. More Saint Anthony

Bartolo di Fredi (c. 1330 – January 26, 1410) was an Italian painter, born in Siena, classified as a member of the Sienese School. Bartolo di Fredi was one of the most popular masters in Siena in the second half of the fourteenth century.

He registered in the Guild of that city in 1355. He helped decorate the Hall of Council at Siena, in 1361. In 1362 he went to San Gimignano, where, by 1356, he had painted the entire side of the left aisle of the Pieve with scenes drawn from the Old Testament. In 1366 the Council of the city of Gimignano ordered a painting, representing Two Monks of the Augustine Order to be placed in the Palazzo Pubblico In the early part of 1367 he returned to Siena, and was employed with Giacomo di Mino in the decorations of the cathedral. In 1372. In 1381 he was made a member of the Council. In 1389, Bartolo, assisted by Luca Thome to paint the altar-piece for the Shoemakers' Company, in the Cathedral, and continued from that year until his death to furnish altar-pieces for the cathedral and other churches of Siena, which have now all disappeared.

His style is marked by the rejection of the concrete figures. Instead he favor flatter decorative otherworldly compositions. He combined a spirit of fantasy with anecdotal details. More on Bartolo di Fredi

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1 Religious Icon, Stefano di Giovanni, detto il Sassetta's Madonna of the Snow, with footnotes #13

Stefano di Giovanni, detto il Sassetta (Cortona? 1400 c. - Siena 1450)

Madonna of the Snow Altarpiece, c. 1432

Tempera on panel

240 x 256 cm

The Uffizi

White, soft, icy snow is a rare sight in the Mediterranean city of Rome during winter, let alone during summer. Yet, according to tradition, the founding of one of Rome’s most important Catholic churches took place on an extraordinary snowfall day in August of 352. On August 5 of 352, a wealthy Roman nobleman and Pope Liberius both had dreams in which snow was falling over the Esquiline Hill, one of Rome’s seven hills. The two men resolved to visit the place of the unusual event, bumped into one another and testified to the unusual snowfall. It so happened that the nobleman had been looking for a way to donate some of his possessions to the Catholic Church. He then restored to build a beautiful place of worship on top of the hill where the miraculous snow fell. Pope Liberius then proceeded to trace the perimeter of the soon-to-be-church by moving a stick over the thick white blanket. Since then, Santa Maria Maggiore has become one of the most important worship sites for Catholics and the largest Marian worship site in Rome. More on Madonna of the Snow

Stefano di Giovanni di Consolo, known as il Sassetta (ca.1392–1450 or 1451) was a Tuscan painter of the Renaissance, and a significant figure of the Sienese School. While working within the Sienese tradition, he innovated the style by introducing elements derived from the decorative Gothic style and the realism of contemporary Florentine innovators as Masaccio.

Sassetta was probably trained alongside artists like Benedetto di Bindo and Gregorio di Cecco but he had a style all of his own. He achieved a high level of technical refinement and was aware of artistic innovations of talented painters in Florence such as Gentile da Fabriano and Masolino. His work differs from the late Gothic style of many of his Sienese contemporaries.

The Madonna of the Snow altarpiece for the Siena Cathedral was a prestigious commission for Sassetta, and is considered his second major work. Not only does he excel at infusing his figures with a natural light that convincingly molds their shape, he also has an amazing handle on spatial relationships, creating cohesive and impressive work. From this point on, under Gothic influence, Sassetta’s style increases its decorative nature. The polyptych done by Sassetta in San Domenico at Cortona (around 1437) depicts scenes from the legend of St. Anthony the Abbot. He shows great skill in narration through his painting as well as combining a sophisticated color palette and rhythmic compositions.

He died from pneumonia contracted while decorating the Assumption fresco on the Porta Romana of Siena. The work was finished by his pupil Sano di Pietro. More on Stefano di Giovanni di Consolo

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1 Religious Icon, George Klontzas' Three Church Hierarchs, with footnotes #12

George Klontzas (1540 – circa 1608)

Three Church Hierarchs; St Basil The Great, St John Chrysostom and St Gregory the Theologian, Cretan, late 16th century

Tempera on wood

Private collection

The Saints are depicted against a gold ground, in frontal position with elongated bodies and relatively small heads, each making a blessing gesture and holding a jewelled closed Book of Gospels, robed in precious bishop's garments with striking geometric ornament of crosses set within squares and circles of a type worn during the Byzantine period. More on this painting

The Three Hierarchs of Eastern Christianity refers to Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. They were highly influential bishops of the early church who played pivotal roles in shaping Christian theology. In Eastern Christianity they are also known as the Three Great Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers, while in Roman Catholicism the three are honored as Doctors of the Church. The three are venerated as saints in Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Anglicanism, and other Christian churches. More on Three Church Hierarchs

Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330[8] – January 1 or 2, 379), was a Byzantine bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed the heresies of the early Christian church, fighting against both Arianism and the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.

In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underprivileged. More on Basil of Caesarea

John Chrysostom ( 347 – 14 September 407) was an important Early Church Father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities. Chrysostom was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian Church.

He is honoured as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, as well as in some others. The Eastern Orthodox, together with the Byzantine Catholics, hold him in special regard as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (alongside Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus). More on John Chrysostom 

Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – 25 January 390), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was a 4th-century Archbishop of Constantinople and theologian. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. As a classically trained orator and philosopher he infused Hellenism into the early church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials, More on Gregory of Nazianzus

Georgios Klontzas (1535-1608) was a scholar, painter, and manuscript illuminator. He is one of the most influential artists of the post-Byzantine period. He defined the Cretan Renaissance. He worked for both Catholic and Orthodox patrons. His artistic output included: icons, miniatures, triptychs, and illuminated manuscripts. He is known for occupying his icons with countless figures. The technique is extremely complex and unique to Klontzas. Andreas Pavias attempted this technique in the Crucifixion of Jesus. Klontzas's painting All Creation rejoices in thee is his most popular work. Klontzas influenced Theodore Poulakis he created an extremely similar painting called In Thee Rejoiceth. Klontzas's work is strongly influenced by the Venetian school. His triptychs strongly resemble the works of Gentile da Fabriano, namely the Intercession Altarpiece. Klontzas's Last Judgement resembles Michelangelo's Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. There are very close similarities. There is no indication that Klontzas saw the work but it is a possibility. According to the Institute of Neohellenic Research fifty-four items of his art exist today. More on Georgios Klontzas

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1 Russian Icon, Sano di Pietro's Madonna and Child, with footnotes #10

Sano di Pietro

Madonna and Child, Siena 1406 - 1481

Tempera on panel

7 3/8 by 6 1/8 in.; 18.8 by 15.6 cm.

Private collection

This work in particularly displays an extremely refined and very high level of craftsmanship, probably reinforced by Pietro's work as a miniaturist for major institutions like the Opera Metropolitana di Siena, and the monastery of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. In this small-scale devotional painting the Virgin appears in half-length in front of a gold background as she bends her head gently toward the Christ Child whom she supports on her right arm. The infant is dressed in a yellow tunic and a long red cloak. The delicate treatment of the faces, sharp nose, and pronounced chin of the Virgin are typical of the artist’s style. More on this Icon

Sano di Pietro or Ansano di Pietro di Mencio (1406–1481) was an Italian painter of the Sienese school of painting. He was active for about half a century during the Quattrocento period, and his contemporaries included Giovanni di Paolo and Sassetta.

Sano was born in 1406. His name enters the roll of painters in 1428 where it remained until his death in 1481. In addition to his own painting and overseeing the pupils and assistants in his workshop, Sano was also part of the civic fabric of Siena, in 1431 and 1442 he was the leader of the San Donato district of Siena. Sano was also employed as an arbitrator; in 1475 he was called upon to settle a dispute between fellow painters Neroccio di Bartolommeo and Francesco di Giorgio Martini.

It was, however, as a painter that he made his living. The workshop he ran produced huge number of artworks. He wasn't merely a painter of altar pieces. He also produced frescoes, miniatures, and book bindings. Sano died in 1481. More on Sano di Pietro

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