Lot number 1048 - Auction 151
MUSEALE IKONE 'DU BIST EINE MAUER FÜR DIE JUNGFRAUEN, JUNGFRAU GOTTESMUTTER'

AN IMPORTANT ICON 'YOU ARE A WALL TO THE VIRGINS, O VIRGIN THEOTOKOS' Russian, Novgorod, mid-16th century Single panel with one back splint. Kovcheg, egg tempera on gesso, gold ground. The rare composition illustrates the 10th Ikos of the famous Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God, in which Mary is praised as teacher and protector of all the faithful. At the centre the Theotokos is enthroned with outstretched arms, surrounded by nuns, thereby emphasizing virginity and asceticism. The iconography goes back to Byzantine prototypes and found a particularly vivid expression in Novgorodian icon painting of the 16th century. Through the close connection of text and image, this icon is a vivid example of the liturgical and theological depth of the Orthodox pictorial tradition. Minor restorations. Minor restorations. 27.8 x 21 cm.