Lot number 2138 - Auction 151
BEDEUTENDER SATZ VON NEUN IKONOSTASEN-IKONEN AUS DEM DEESIS-RANG

AN IMPORTANT SET OF NINE ICONOSTASIS ICONS FROM THE DEESIS TIER FROM A CHURCH ICONOSTASIS Russian, early 18th century Wood panels with kovcheg, egg tempera on gesso, partly silvered and gilded. Partially restored. 95 x 81.7 cm (Deesis) / 94 x 38.8 cm (Apostles). At the centre, Christ as High Priest is flanked by the Mother of God and John the Forerunner, the composition further framed by the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, the Apostles Peter, Paul and James, and the Evangelists John, Matthew and Luke. Executed in a refined palette of soft pastel tones with richly ornamented garments, the icons display both delicacy of modelling and grandeur of presence. Sets of this completeness and quality are of notable rarity, making the present group an exceptional example of 18th-century Russian ecclesiastical art.