Green Stone Flower Bowl with Rubies

Wooden end-boards covered with tooled leather, later reinforced with a new plain leather spine and replaced twine stringers; psaltery with decorated title page in Ge'ez script, red and black ink; parchment pages with dry-point guidelines, black text with red detailing; some pages with decorative polychrome busts, architectural features, etc. 3.5 kg, 32.5 x 24.5 cm



Ex Claudia Belcher, London, until 2005. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12045-212183.

With slots and mounting panels to the reverse; sheet silver basma composed of decorative impressed strips trimmed to the outline of the painted image; icon of 'Virgin Donskaya' (Our Lady of the River Don), Mary wearing a dark purple veil and mantle with jewelled trim and tasselled fringe to the crook of the arm, infant Jesus supported by her right arm; rectangular panels with monograms flanking Mary's head; 'ΜΡ' and 'ΘΥ' (Μήτηρ (τοῦ) Θεοῦ = Mother of God), over the child inscription in Greek letters 'ΙϹ ΧϹ' (ΙΗϹΟΥϹ ΧΡΙϹΤΟϹ = Jesus Christ), three letters (only two visible) inside the nimbus of Christ representing the continuous divine self-existence of Christ as God ('O ѾN' = The Only One who always exists). 1.05 kg, 31.5 cm high

Fine condition.

Ex property of a London lady, part of her family's collection.

The original of this icon (Our Lady of the Don) is a 14th century icon, with the characteristics of the Eleusa (Virgin of the tenderness), by the great painter Theophan the Greek, circa 1382-1395, held in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

Relating to a tenement lease relating to a messuage, cottage, and other appurtenances. 12 grams, 40 cm



UK gallery, early 2000s.