Mixed Buckle Collection

Depicting nimbate Mary Theotokos with veiled head and wearing a red maphorion mantle over a dark blue robe with gold cuffs, inclined towards the infant Jesus supported by her left hand, wearing a bright red mantle and a blue tunic highlighted with gold, his left arm holding a roll and the right hand in a gesture of blessing; white field, tempera on wood, Smolenskaya type. 1.12 kg, 32 x 26 cm



Acquired from Portobello Road, London, circa 2000. Property of a London, UK, gentleman collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The model for the icon, painted in 16th century style, is the one of the Mother of God of Smolensk, associated with the Byzantine icon of the Hodegetria ('She who shows the ways). According to the legend, the icon of Smolensk received the name after healing two blind men. The original icon of Smolensk was a gift of the Roman Emperor Constantine Monomachus to her daughter Anna when she married the Russian Prince Vsevolod. Later Anna presented the icon to his son Vladimir who put it in the Vladimir Cathedral.

Rectangular leaf with hand-coloured composite scene: right, Mary in blue mantle and rich embroidered red garment holding the fallen priest by the hand and raising him; behind him a prone male figure in colourful robes (the priest represented for the second time); ecclesiastic architecture on the background; a manuscript folio with text in Ge'ez to the reverse. 27 grams, 31.5 x 22 cm



Private collection, New York, circa 2016. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The image refers to the 'Miracle of the healing of the Priest' in which a priest, who had grown old in the service of the Virgin Mary, fell over in the church when bowing before her, and broke his back. The Virgin appeared and healed his broken bones.

Rectangular window glass in lead cames with painted image of St. Leodegar standing in a wooded landscape wearing his episcopal mitre and robes, heater shield at bottom; wooden frame; damaged, the glass elements conserved and available for restoration. 6 kg total, 97 cm high



Collection of Lord Sudeley, Toddington Manor, Gloucestershire. with Schweizer Glasmalereien Vorwiegend des XVI & XVII Jahrhunderts, Munich, Hugo Helbing, 4 October 1911, no.7. UK Trade, 2018. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12567-230649. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Leodegar of Poitiers (c. 615 – October 2, 679 AD) was a Burgundian noblemen and Bishop of Autun, son of Saint Sigrada and brother of Saint Warinus. He was an opponent of Ebroin, the Frankish Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, who arranged for him to be blinded and have his tongue cut out. He was later made a martyr and canonised. Lord Sudeley's collection at Toddington Manor, Gloucestershire, was a treasure trove of Gothic Revival architecture, art, and history, reflecting his deep involvement in the manor's design with over 580 architectural drawings. His collection boasted exquisite 17th-century tapestries, heraldic stained glass, and historical artefacts that chronicled the family's lineage, including links to significant English historical events. Financial difficulties led to the dispersal of these items through auctions, yet the legacy of Toddington Manor endures as a testament to one of Britain's cultural and architectural gems.