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LOT 0396
Ethiopian Wooden Bifacial Icon
LATE 17TH CENTURY A.D.
10 1/8 in. (455 grams, 25.7 cm).
One side with the Crucifixion scene, Virgin Mary and Saint John weeping at the foot of the cross, the soldier Longinus piercing the side of Jesus; the other side with a diptych painted on paper representing a crowned Saint George (Bet Gorgis) and his servant Seqrates dressed like a priest, watching the miracle of the transformation of water into wine; lines of Ge'ez text in black ink on the reverse; wooden frame with closure on both sides, surmounted by a small cross. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Cy Lester, an antiquarian bookseller, London, UK, circa 1990.
Ex central London gallery.
See similar image of dressed Saint George in Walters Gallery, Ethiopian Manuscript W835, folio 37.
FootnotesAmong the imagery of Ethiopian equestrian saints, three main representational categories can be distinguished: 1) simple portrait of the saint armed with spear or lance and holding the reins of a horse; 2) the saint spearing an enemy; 3) the saint according to one of the aforementioned types placed in a narrative scene.
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AUCTIONS:
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Post Medieval Bone China Portrait of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar
20th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Painted onto bone china in polychrome and gilt, showing the ruler facing, dressed in royal attire. 27 grams total, 64 mm high (82 x 82 mm including box)
Acquired by the vendor's father on the UK art market, before 1990.
Naser al-Din Shah Qajar was the fourth Shah of Qajar, and the third longest reigning ruler in Iranian history. He was assassinated in Tehran on 1st May 1896. He is known for being the first modern Persian monarch to have formally visited Europe and to have written about his travels in his memoirs. -
Post Medieval Dutch Glazed Ceramic Tile Group
Circa 17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising glazes of different colours and designs, including geometric motifs, wild animals, flowering plants, figural scenes and buildings in landscapes. 5.8 kg total, 13 x 13 - 13 x 13.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
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Gilt Painted Wooden Icon of Saint Paraskevi
Circa 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Depicting a richly dressed facing figure, crowned and nimbate, winged angels on clouds flanking the head; holding a cross in her right hand and a scroll in her proper left arm bearing handwritten Slavic script of the Nicene Creed; additional Slavic script with her name across the right and left fields. 854 grams, 31 cm
The timber shows some old insect flight holes and we are advised that this piece has been recently treated with Permthrin, as a precaution.
Ex French gallery, Paris.
Saint Paraskevi is usually depicted holding an Eastern Cross and a scroll with the words from the Nicene Creed (here, in old Slavonic: Верую во единаго Бога Отца, Вседержителя, Творца небу и земли,видимым же всем и невидимым = We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen), professing her faith in another while being crowned with the crown of the martyrdom by two angels.
