Shapiro Auctions
Shapiro Auctions RUSSIAN AND INTERNATIONAL FINE ART & ANTIQUES Saturday - October 25, 2014 RUSSIAN AND INTERNATIONAL FINE ART & ANTIQUES 1: A RUSSIAN ICON OF HOLY MARTYR PARASKEVA WITH LIFE USD 30,000 - 40,000 A RUSSIAN ICON OF HOLY MARTYR PARASKEVA WITH LIFE SCENES, NORTHERN SCHOOL, LATE 16TH-EARLY 17TH CENTURY, the figure of Saint Paraskeva, venerated as the healer of the blind as well as the patron saint of trade and commerce, stands in a field of flowering plants, she holds her martyr`s cross in one hand and an open scroll in the other, a pair of angels places a crown upon her head, surrounding the central image are fourteen scenes from the saint`s life, including the many tortures she endured under Emperor Antoninus Pius and the Roman governor Tarasius. Egg tempera, gold leaf and gesso on wood panel with kovcheg. Two insert splints on the back, one missing, one-half of the other present. 103 x 80 cm (40 ½ x 31 1/2 in.)PROVENANCESotheby`s, New York, June 10-11, 1981, lot 541.Collection of Bernard Winters, Armonk, New York (acquired at the above auction)Bernard J. Winters was a philanthropist and art collector who was captivated by Russian icons. Over a fifty-year period, he worked closely with Sotheby`s, Christie`s, and private collectors to cultivate his collection. His monumental icons, as well as those purchased from Natalie Hays Hammond, daughter of John Hays Hammond, diplomat, were some of his favored items. 2: A RUSSIAN ICON OF THE VENERABLE SERGIUS OF RADONEZH, USD 10,000 - 15,000 A RUSSIAN ICON OF THE VENERABLE SERGIUS OF RADONEZH, YAROSLAVL SCHOOL, CIRCA 1600, the saint depicted holding a scroll featuring an excerpt from his last words to his disciples, "Do not be sad Brothers, but rather preserve the purity of your bodies and souls, and love in a disinterested manner," above him is an image of the Holy Trinity - a reference to his Monastery of the Holy Trinity, as well as to the icon painted by Andrei Rublev under Sergius` successor, on a deep green background with a red border.
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