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Details
LOT 1958
Russian Orthodox Bronze Cross with Prayers
19TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/8 in. (65.4 grams, 11.1 cm).
Depicting the Saviour on the cross, the titulum inscribed in Cyrillic ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’; long inscriptions in Old Church Slavonic and traditional elements of the ‘Stavrosis’ surrounding the cross: sponge on reed, spear and a skull set on stones marking the site as Golgotha, twisted cords or wire, and the walls of Jerusalem; on the upper part of the cross, angels with cloth-covered hands and over them a frontal view of the torso of God with his arms raised above clouds; inscribed prayers in Old Church Slavonic and file marks on the back of the casting. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired from Chris Martin-Zakheim, Iconastas, 5 Piccadilly Arcade, London SW1.
From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.
Literature
Cf. Eighme Ahlborn, R., Beaver-Bricken Espinola, V., Russian Copper Icons and crosses from the Kunz Collection: Castings of Faith, Washington, 1991, nos.25819.003-4., p.42, for similar iconography.
Footnotes
Orthodox travel icons were used by the faithful to carry a sacred representation with them during their journeys, offering protection and a constant spiritual connection. The icon features meticulous craftsmanship with intricate details of the Passion and Death of the Saviour, according to the Byzantine iconography.
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Depicting the Saviour on the cross, the titulum inscribed in Cyrillic ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’; long inscriptions in Old Church Slavonic and traditional elements of the ‘Stavrosis’ surrounding the cross: sponge on reed, spear and a skull set on stones marking the site as Golgotha, twisted cords or wire, and the walls of Jerusalem; on the upper part of the cross, angels with cloth-covered hands and over them a frontal view of the torso of God with his arms raised above clouds; inscribed prayers in Old Church Slavonic and file marks on the back of the casting. 65.4 grams, 11.1 cm
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