Lot number 2044 - Auction 161
SELTENE IKONE MIT DER ÜBERFÜHRUNG DER RELIQUIEN DES HEILIGEN ALEXANDER NEWSKI

A RARE ICON SHOWING THE TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF SAINT ALEXANDER NEVSKY Russian, circa 1900 Tempera on wood panel with kovcheg. The gold ground and border decorated with punched stylized patterns emulating the metal oklads of contemporary icons. On the reverse remains of a Cyrillic inscription including the date '1900'. The icon depicts the rarely represented translation of the relics of the Holy Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263). At the centre of the composition is the reliquary containing the saint's remains, being transported by boat across the water accompanied by high-ranking clergy, including a bishop or patriarch. Along the shore are architectural settings with churches and other buildings, while a flock of birds accompanies the vessel. Minimally rubbed. 30.3 x 26.3 cm. The composition refers to the translation of the relics of Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir to St. Petersburg. Peter the Great founded the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in 1710 and placed it under the patronage of the revered prince. At his instigation, the relics were transferred from Vladimir in 1723 and arrived at the monastery, later the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the following year. August 30 became the ecclesiastical feast day commemorating the translation of the relics. The unusual subject and elaborate narrative composition reflect the particular veneration of Alexander Nevsky in the Russian Empire. Literature: Illustrated in Lebendige Zeugen. Datierte und signierte Ikonen in Russland um 1900, Frankfurt 2005, cat. 134.