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LOT 0374
Large Cretan Wooden Icon Fragment of Deesis with Christ Pantocrator and Saint John the Prodromos
CIRCA 1670 A.D.
22 1/2 in. (1.8 kg, 57 cm).
Depicting Christ Pantocrator and Saint John on his side, hand of Mary visible on the left; the Lord of the Universe represented seated upon a cushioned throne, the right hand in blessing gesture, the left hand holding a Gospel decorated with precious stones; wearing a blue chlamys and red sticharion; Saint John in proskynesis in front of Christ, dressed in a brown vestis talaris; the head of both surrounded by a red halo; later wire for hanging to the reverse with an information sheet in German.
ProvenanceEx Hargesheimen Auction House, Dusseldorf, Germany.
Property of a London, UK, gentleman collector.
Cf. Pyatnitsky, Y., ‘Two signed seventeenth century icons of the Cretan school from the Hermitage Museum’ in Zograf 36(36), January 2012, pp.189-197, fig.1, for a similar Deesis.
FootnotesThe icon represents a middle section from a Deesis of a church iconostasis. Although preserved as a fragment, it is designed in the high style of the late 16th century.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0374
Large Cretan Wooden Icon Fragment of Deesis with Christ Pantocrator and Saint John the Prodromos
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
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Roman Style Bronze Figural Scabbard Hook Group
18th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Comprising three hooks, one with an erotic scene, one with face mask and the third with a seated figure. 27.1 grams total, 51-63 mm
From a Dunmow, UK, collection; formed from 1970. -
Western Asiatic Style Frog and Duck Weight Group
20th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising: red hardstone weight with incuse bird image to underside; carved agate weight; serpentine bead in the form of a frog. 59 grams total, 30-33 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Neoclassical Carnelian Gemstone with Bacchic Procession
Italy, 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
The oval intaglio carved with a lively Bacchic procession: a winged putto driving a goat-drawn chariot, grasping a thyrsus with one hand and guiding the reins with the other; before the chariot, another putto dancing and playing the pipes; set in a gold pendant. 7.83 grams, 38 mm
Private collection, UK.
The subject reflects the revival of antique themes characteristic of early 19th-century glyptic art, drawing inspiration from Roman gems and Renaissance engravings after Raphael. Such imagery of putti in Bacchic revels was emblematic of festivity, abundance, and playful triumph, well-suited to the Neoclassical fascination with classical allegory. For a comparison, see the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 49.97.335, “A frieze arrangement with a putto wearing a laurel crown riding a goat at left and many infants playing musical instruments in front,” Master of the Die after Raphael, c. 1530–60.
