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LOT 2013
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saint Julitta, Cyricus and Deesis
19TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/2 in. (360 grams, 14 cm).
With blue enamel and framed by a raised border; Saint Julitta and her son, Cyricus, Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John the Chrysostom standing beside them at the centre; three half-length figures above: St. Paraskeva (right), Eudokia, and Barbara (left); OCS inscriptions identifying the saints framing the scene; on the top a deesis, with Christ Pantokrator at the centre, flanked by Saint Mary and Saint John the Precursor; at the top left corner Archangel Michael, on the top right corner the Archangel Gabriel; beneath Saint Gabriel, in vertical order, Saint Paul, Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Nicholas of Myra, Saint Demetrios; beneath Saint Michael, in vertical order, Saint Peter, Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostomos and Saint George; in the last row, nearby Saint Andrew, at the centre, the Archangel Raphael, with sword and cross.
ProvenanceAcquired 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.
Cf. Eighme Ahlborn, R., Beaver-Bricken Espinola, V., Russian Copper Icons and crosses from the Kunz Collection: Castings of Faith, Washington, 1991, nos.25819.130 and 25819.133, pp.49,58, for similar iconography.
FootnotesThis icon was intended for private devotion, often carried by pilgrims and Orthodox believers for spiritual protection. St. Julyttas and her son Cyricus (Ки́рик и Иули́тта), among the most venerated figures in Russian tradition, are depicted in the centre, surrounded by other saints, a symbol of the communion of the righteous in front of the Divine Deesis.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2013
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saint Julitta, Cyricus and Deesis
Estimate £180 - 240€210 - 280 (for guidance only)$240 - 320 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£85 (EUR 99; USD 115) +BP*
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Large Chinese Bronze Ewer for the Eastern Market
20th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £160
Tall slender neck with baluster collar, socket to the mouth and domed lid with knop handle; piriform body with fluting, trumpet-shaped foot; curved spout with dragon-head detail to mouth. 3.49 kg, 48.8 cm
Private collection, UK. -
Post Medieval Gemstone Depicting an Offering to Priapus in Gold Ring
Italy, 18th century A.D.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Intaglio engraved with satyr playing aulos behind a tall column with statue on the top, a woman in long robe and satyr standing in front of an altar; set into a later gold ring with hoop formed from three round-section wires holding an oval bezel; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 9.36 grams, 25.97 mm overall, 19.15 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Gem-Set Gold Masquerade Ring with Love Inscription
Italy, circa 1760 A.D.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £2,500
Finely modelled with a black-and-white enamelled mask, the features animated by rose-cut diamond eyes and a small ruby set into the open mouth; the head framed by a serrated gold collet and flanked by silver foliate clusters each set with a further rose-cut diamond; the shank formed as asymmetrical rococo scrolls with pierced and chased detailing throughout, the reverse of the bezel open, revealing white enamel engraved with faint traces of an original posy inscription. 2.28 grams, 21.10 mm overall, 17.45 x 16.35 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
The enamel remains entirely original and unrestored.
Acquired on the European art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13321-257909.
Though now largely worn, the underside of the bezel would likely have borne a concealed love sentiment, comparable to the formula Je cache mes amours ('I mask my love'), found on related rings of mid-18th-century manufacture. The theme of the masked lover, drawn from contemporary masquerade culture and its associations with flirtation, secrecy, and clandestine courtship, here transforms the jewel into a witty and intimate token.
