1 Religious Icon, 18th C. Russian Icon, Christ Emmanuel, with footnotes #19

Unknown iconographer

Christ Emmanuel, 18th C. Russian Icon

Egg tempera and gold leaf on wood

10.25" W x 12.25" H (26 cm x 31.1 cm)

Private collection

The text beneath may refer to a passage of Isaiah that Christ read in the synagogue of Nazareth, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the afflicted".

The prophet Isaiah coined the term Emmanuel which means God is with us, and this icon captures that sense of immediate presence. According to Alfredo Tradigo, "We see not a child before us, but the mysterious, unknowable face of God, who is eternally young and old at once, as emphasized by the Church Fathers. The figure's young age stands not for the Child but, rather, for the incorruptible, timeless youth of the sacrificial Lamb, daily renewed on the altar in the bloodless sacrifice of the Eucharist. Tradigo continues to explain that the placement of an Emmanuel icon at the Cathedral of the Dormition in Moscow, in a Deesis over the northern doors of the iconostasis that lead to the prosthesis (the special room where these holy gifts are prepared) attests to this interpretation. The smooth-faced Christ Emmanuel is traditionally inserted in an angelic Deesis between Gabriel and Michael the holy archangels who protect the Divine Liturgy). In some cases a grand ensemble of angels forms an assembly around Emmanuel. More on this Icon

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1 Religious Icon, A Greek icon of St John the Baptist, with footnotes #18

Unknown artist

A Greek icon of St John the Baptist, 'Slave (of God) Apostolis', late 17th century

Painted against a gilt ground

61 x 38cm; 24½ x 15 in.

Private collection

The Winged Saint shown carrying a chalice containing his own head and an open scroll. More on this Icon

John the Baptist, known as the prophet Yahya in the Qur'an, was a Jewish itinerant preacher in the early first century AD. John is revered as a major religious figure in Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith, and Mandaeism. He is called a prophet by all of these traditions, and honoured as a saint in many Christian traditions.

John used baptism as the central sacrament of his messianic movement.[ Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus. Scholars generally believe Jesus was a follower or disciple of John and several New Testament accounts report that some of Jesus' early followers had previously been followers of John. John the Baptist is also mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus. Some scholars maintain that John was influenced by the semi-ascetic Essenes, who expected an apocalypse and practiced rituals corresponding strongly with baptism, although no direct evidence substantiates this.

According to the New Testament, John anticipated a messianic figure greater than himself, and Jesus was the one whose coming John foretold. Christians commonly refer to John as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus, since John announces Jesus' coming. John is also identified with the prophet Elijah. More on John the Baptist

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1 Religious Icon, Spanish School's Annunciation, with footnotes #18

Spanish School. First half of the 16th century

The Annunciation

Oil on panel

41 x 31 cm

Private collection

The Virgin appears kneeling in front of a table decorated with a red cloth with gold trim.. The arrival of the archangel has caused the Virgin to put down her book and turn her face to observe the unexpected visitor. Saint Gabriel, is in the act of approaching the Virgin. In his left hand he grasps a golden sceptre topped with a kind of fleur-de-lys: it is the messenger's staff. He extends his right arm pointing with his index and middle fingers towards the sky to emphasise the fact that the message he brings comes directly from God.

Mary brings her left hand to her chest as a sign of compliance with the divine message, while with her right she still holds a page of the book she was reading. More on this painting

The Annunciation referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation. Gabriel told Mary to name her son Yehoshua, meaning "YHWH is salvation".

 

According to Luke 1:26, the Annunciation occurred "in the sixth month" of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Many Christians observe this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, an approximation of the northern vernal equinox nine full months before Christmas, the ceremonial birthday of Jesus. In England, this came to be known as Lady Day. It marked the new year until 1752. The 2nd-century writer Irenaeus of Lyon regarded the conception of Jesus as 25 March coinciding with the Passion. More The Annunciation

Spanish School, 16th Century. In the sixteenth century when Spain became a world power with vast possessions and sources of wealth in the New World, as well as possessions dotted about Europe, it might have been expected that a vigorous national school of painting would emerge, transforming the somewhat tentative or imitative character that painting in Spain had shown up to then. It turned out otherwise. For most of the 16th century, painting remained spiritless. Both the Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain were patrons with a feeling for art, but the great Venetians, especially Titian, claimed most of their interest. Philip also highly approved of the fantasies of Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) - although the top Spanish clergy suspected heresy in these strange pictures from the Netherlands. More on Spanish School, 16th Century

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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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