Lot number 381 - Auction 151
SEHR FEINE UND SELTENE IKONE MIT DER AUFERSTEHUNG CHRISTI UND ZWÖLF HOCHFESTEN DES ORTHODOXEN KIRCHENJAHRES

A VERY FINE AND RARE ICON WITH THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST AND THE TWELVE GREAT FEASTS OF THE ORTHODOX LITURGICAL YEAR Northern Russia, Cholmogory manufactory, late 18th century Mammoth bone, carved. Executed in exceptionally fine and detailed carving, with partly almost fully sculptural representations of the individual scenes. Minor losses. 51.5 x 41.8 cm. Since the 17th century, Cholmogory had been an important centre of bone carving craftsmanship. Local workshops produced particularly refined works from walrus tusk, mammoth and bone - ranging from liturgical objects and small sculptures to elaborate game boards and caskets. The region gained its renown thanks to access to northern raw materials (walrus and mammoth from Siberia) and the cultivation of a highly specialised craft tradition over generations.