Gilt Painted Wooden Icon of Saint George

CIRCA 19TH CENTURY A.D.

13 in. (667 grams, 33.2 cm).

Dressed in armour and holding a spear, carrying a shield on his back, quiver of arrows on his hip with bow over arm, and one hand on a sword at his side, against a gilt background; text across left and right field reading 'Свети Георги' (Saint George).

Provenance

Ex French gallery, Paris.

Literature

Cf. Ovcharov, N., The Warrior Saints in Old Bulgarian Art, Sofia, 2003, Pl.V fig.3, VI, fig.2, for Saint George with similar armour.

Footnotes

Saint George, a Roman soldier of the 4th century, martyred under Diocletian, soon became the emblem of the military saint par excellence, defender of the faith and protector of armies. In the east, his icons and images were often carried into battle or placed on standards of Christian armies; in the West, he became a patron of chivalry. Here he is represented in late Roman armour, according to the style in use in Byzantium between the 14th and 15th centuries.

CONDITION

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LOT 2004