01 Religious Icon, A Russian icon of the Kazan Mother of God with gilded silver oklad, with footnotes #33

Unknown artist

Kazan Mother of God

Oil or tempera on panel, seed and artificial pearls, glass, silver

13 3/4 x 11 3/4 in., 34.8 x 29.7 cm

Private collection

Sold for 17,500 USD on April 2014

Our Lady of Kazan, also called Mother-of-God of Kazan, was a holy icon of the highest stature within the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city of Kazan, and a palladium of all of Russia and Rus', known as the Holy Protectress of Russia. As is the case for any holy entity under a Patriarchate in communion within the greater Eastern Orthodox Church, it is venerated by all Orthodox faithful.

According to legend, the icon was originally acquired from Constantinople, lost in 1438, and miraculously recovered in pristine state over 140 years later in 1579. Two major cathedrals, the Kazan Cathedral, Moscow, and the Kazan Cathedral, St. Petersburg, are consecrated to Our Lady of Kazan, and they display copies of the icon, as do numerous churches throughout the land. The original icon in Kazan was stolen, and probably destroyed, in 1904. More on Our Lady of Kazan

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

01 Religious Icon, St. Luke presenting the Mother of God with the first icon, with footnotes #32

Unknown iconographer

St. Luke presenting the Mother of God with the first icon, circa 1800

Tempera on panel

15 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. (39.4 x 35 cm)

Private collection

The painted icon is covered with a metal cover, the borders with angels, set among floral garlands, raising up the image.

The Apostle Luke is mostly known as one of the four Evangelists. In fact, he told us more than the other three about our Lord’s childhood, as well as about His mother Mary.

It is a known fact that Saint Luke was also an artist. It is said, that he was the only person who painted a few images of the Theotokos while she was alive. This makes St Luke the first iconographer. However, some people believe that there is no proof that the icons in question have actually been painted by the Apostle.

The Bible doesn’t mention St Luke’s paintings. The only piece of information about Luke’s profession that the New Testament gives us is that the evangelist was a doctor. More on St. Luke presenting the Mother of God with the first icon

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

01 Religious Icon, Russian Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, with footnotes #31

Unknown artist

Vladimir Mother of God with beaded cover, circa 1800

Tempera, glass beads, pearls, cotton

18 1/4 x 15 1/4 in. (46.3 x 38.5 cm)

Private collection

The miraculous image given the title, Our Lady of Vladimir, is known as an Eleousa, the Greek word meaning, Mother of Tenderness. The Christ Child nestles tenderly close to his mother, he gazes at her and is so closely linked to her that his left arm embraces her fully. His right hand gently touches her left cheek. The original image is a large painting of the type known as the St. Luke icons. Mary looks out at the people. Yet, there is no doubt that she is intimately united to her Divine Son.

The origin of the ancient Marian icon, Our Lady of Vladimir, can be traced back to 1125. For many, The Lady Who Saves Russia is the most loved image of the Eastern Church.

The oldest known representation of Our Lady of Vladimir is presently located at the Tretjakow Gallery in Moscow. According to research, this excellent representation of an Eleousa was commissioned in Constantinople by a Russian, who then had the painting taken from city to city during the period of united Ukranian-Russian history. In 1169, Duke Andrej Bogoljubskij had the icon brought from Kiev to the new cathedral of Vladimir. Due to the honor and reverence of the people, who attributed gracious assistance to Our Lady's help throughout the Ukraine, a large cathedral was built for her in Vladimir. More on Our Lady of Vladimir

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

01 Religious Icon, The Icon of Our Lady of the Sign, with footnotes #30

Unknown artist

The Icon of Our Lady of the Sign, circa 1900

Tempera and gilding on panel

17 3/8 x 15 1/2 in. (43.8 x 39.5 cm)

Private collection

The surface is richly carved, gilded, and painted in imitation of an enameled silver cover and pearl robes.

The Icon of Our Lady of the Sign is the term for a particular type of icon of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), facing the viewer directly, depicted either full length or half, with her hands raised in the orans position, and with the image of the Child Jesus depicted within a round aureole upon her breast.

The icon depicts the Theotokos during the Annunciation at the moment of saying, "May it be done to me according to your word."(Luke 1:38). The image of the Christ child represents him at the moment of his conception in the womb of the Virgin. He is depicted not as a fetus, but rather vested in divine robes, and often holding a scroll, symbolic of his role as teacher. 

The term Virgin of the Sign or Our Lady of the Sign is a reference to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel". Such an image is often placed in the apse of the sanctuary of an Orthodox church above the Holy Table (altar). More on The Icon of Our Lady of the Sign

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

01 Religious Icon, A Russian icon of the Deesis, with footnotes #29

Unknown iconographer

A Russian icon of the Deesis

Egg tempera on wood

36 x 30cm

Private collection

In the Deesis, the Pantocrator is in the center, to his right is the Mother of God in an attitude of intercession: she represents the Church, brings back to Christ the prayer of humanity and covers it with her maternal protection. After the Virgin, the Baptist has the place of honor next to Christ, to the left of his throne; archetype of men, it makes the link between the Old and the New Testament and summarizes the long expectation of the people of Israel; he is the first to designate Jesus as the Messiah, he baptizes him in the waters of the Jordan. John is the first martyr of Christ, which gives him a special power of intercession. Christ in the center with the Mother on his right and John the Baptist on his left, both in an attitude of supplication, constitute the iconographic module called Deesis or prayer. More on this icon

The Greek word Deesis can be translated as entreaty or request. Characteristic of the iconography of a Deesis is that a group of saints turn to the centrally depicted Christ in intercession. The purpose of this intercession is to implore mercy for all mankind. The saints stand on the left and right side next to Christ’s throne, with their heads bowed in the direction of Christ and usually one hand directed towards him.

The Deesis is the most important and therefore the most central part of an iconostasis in Orthodox Church. In churches, the Deësis usually consists of several separate panels. The order of closeness to Christ is almost always the same: the Mother of God and John the Forerunner (the Baptist) stand right next to the throne, followed by the archangels Michael and Gabriel and the apostles Peter and Paul. For the positions further away from Christ, there is an increasing degree of room for differences. Here there is a place for the other apostles, evangelists, early church fathers, warrior saints, martyrs and other, possibly local, church saints.

In the centre of this icon, Christ Almighty is seated on a throne. He is holding a gospel book in his left hand. To the left and right of Christ are the Mother of God and John the Forerunner, their heads bowed in intercession. Behind the throne are the archangels Michael and Gabriel, followed by the two saints who are considered to be the founders of the early Christian church: the apostles Peter and Paul. More on The Greek word Deesis

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

01 Religious Icon, MOTHER OF GOD "MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD, with footnotes #28

Ivan Fedorov, Moscow

MOTHER OF GOD "MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD"

Tempera on panel, silver oklad

12 1/2 x 10 in., 32 x 25.5 cm

Private collection

This icon with the Virgin enthroned in an oval reserve holding a book open to the words of the Magnificat in Cyrillic reading "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior," the silver oklad chased and repoussé with Neo-classical ornament, struck with mark of assayer Aleksei Vikhliaev, the Cyrillic initials AOP of an unidentified alderman, and Cyrillic initials IF, possibly for Ivan Fedorov, Moscow, 1797; the halo with seraphim and crown, with maker's marks obscured, Moscow, 1899-1908. More on this icon

Ivan Fyodorov was one of the fathers of Eastern Slavonic printing, he was the first known Russian printer in Moscow and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, he was also a skilled cannon maker and the inventor of a multibarreled mortar. More on Ivan Fedorov

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

2 Religious Icons, Barnaba da Modena and Veneto-Cretan Icons of the Madonna and Child, with footnotes #27

Barnaba da Modena  (1328–1386)

Madonna and Child, c. 1370s

Tempera on panel

height: 109 cm (42.9 in); width: 72 cm (28.3 in)

Louvre Museum

The panel, probably originally rectangular, was cut at the top following the profile of the moldings in relief. Central element of a polyptych.

The Nursing Madonna, Virgo Lactans, or Madonna Lactans, is an iconography of the Madonna and Child in which the Virgin Mary is shown breastfeeding the infant Jesus. In Italian it is called the Madonna del Latte ("Madonna of milk"). It was a common type in painting until the change in atmosphere after the Council of Trent, in which it was rather discouraged by the church, at least in public contexts, on grounds of propriety.

The depiction is mentioned by Pope Gregory the Great, and a mosaic depiction probably of the 12th century is on the facade of Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, though few other examples survive from before the late Middle Ages. It continued to be found in Orthodox icons (as Galaktotrophousa in Greek, Mlekopitatelnitsa in Russian), especially in Russia. More on The Nursing Madonna

Barnaba da Modena (c. 1328-c.1386) was a mid-14th-century Italian painter who painted in the style of Byzantine art. He is considered the first Lombard painter of note and was active in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Pisa in Tuscany.

As his name indicates, the artist was a native of Modena (Emilia). The first records regarding Barnaba date to 1361 and 1362 when he had already become a Genoese citizen and was hiring Tuscan assistants. His earliest dated paintings relate to his activities in Genoa. He produced paintings for the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa in 1364. His earliest known painting is a polyptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints (Palazzo Bianco, Genoa), which combines the Gothic style of Tuscan polyptychs with Emilian design. Another work, a Virgin and Child (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), shows the influence of Sienese painting in the rounded faces and the gold-striated highlights on Mary's mantle. More on Barnaba da Modena

Unidentified Veneto-Cretan artist

MOTHER OF GOD GALAKTOTROPHOUSA/ Nursing Madonna, c. 17th

Tempera on panel

34cm, 15¾ by 13⅜in.

Private collection

Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becoming the central force in Greek painting during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The Cretan artists developed a particular style of painting under the influence of both Eastern and Western artistic traditions and movements; the most famous product of the school, El Greco, was the most successful of the many artists who tried to build a career in Western Europe, and also the one who left the Byzantine style farthest behind him in his later career. More on Cretan School

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.