Lot number 2002 - Auction 151
SEHR SELTENE UND GROSSFORMATIGE IKONE 'MAGNIFIKAT' (MEINE SEELE PREISET DEN HERRN)

A VERY RARE AND LARGE ICON 'MAGNIFICAT' (MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD) Russian, after 1909 Tempera on wood panel with kovcheg. The haloes made of gold. The icon depicts the Song of Mary according to the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:46-55), rendered in a complex composition of medallions and scene panels. At the centre, the Mother of God is enthroned with the Christ Child, flanked by angels and Old Testament figures. She is surrounded by the verses of the Magnificat, which in individual vignettes illustrate the exaltation of the humble and the downfall of the mighty. The composition unites liturgical text and image of salvation in a didactic yet festively solemn visual structure, characteristic of the popular devotional piety of the late 19th century. Sixteen saints appear along the borders, among them Conon of Isauria, Princess Olga and Anna of Kashin. Minor retouching. 53.3 × 44.4 cm. Exhibited: E. Haustein-Bartsch (ed.), Pforte des Himmels, Bielefeld 2008, cat. 80.