113

A RUSSIAN ICON: The Smolensk Hodigitria Mother of God, around 1700. Executed in the traditional Old Style, the Virgin gestures towards Her Son who delivers a blessing. 12 inches by 10.5 inches (31 cm x 26 cm).

Estimate $1,250-$1,750

114

A RUSSIAN ICON: The Lord Almighty, circa 1650-1700. Here Christ is depicted as the ruler of the Universe. He delivers a blessing with His right hand and displays an open book of Gospels revealing Matthew 11:28. Verso of icon inscribed in highly stylized old Russian. 12.5 inches by 11 inches (32 cm x 28 cm).

Estimate $2,000-$3,000

115

A RUSSIAN ICON: The Kazan Mother of God, circa 1650. A traditional depicting of this famous subject. The Virgin with maroon maphorian accented with jeweled edging. The infant Christ delivers a blessing, His clothing decorated in chrysography. 11.5 inches by 10.5 inches (29 cm x 27 cm).

Estimate $1,750-$2,500

116

A FINE OLD RUSSIAN ICON: The Appearance of the Mother of God to Venerable Sergiy of Radonezh, circa 1625. This icon depicts the Appearance of the Mother of God, together with Saints Peter (far left holding keys) and the Apostle John to the Venerable Sergiy and his disciple Micah (far right). The event occurred within the Holy Trinity Monastery (see the Trinity image at top center) in the year 1388. In the vision the Mother of God greeted Sergiy with the words "Be not afraid." She informed Sergiy that his monastery would continue to flourish long after his death. As so it did, for the Holy Trinity Monastery which Sergiy founded, was at one time the last bastone for the open worship of Christianity during the most horrific years of Communist rule. Renamed Zagorsk in Communist times, the village surrounding the Monastery has since been reassigned its pre-revolutionary title of Sergiy Posad. Double kovcheg. 9.75 inches by 12.25 inches.

Estimate $1,750-$2,500

For a nearly identical icon see A. Kostsova "Early Russian Painting in the Hermitage Collection" Iskusstvo Publishing, St. Petersburg, Russia 1992, page 153, plate #49 and dated to circa 1621.