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Details
LOT 2139
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saints Zosima and Sabbas
CIRCA 1820 A.D.
3 1/2 in. (108 grams, 88 mm).
Depicting Saint Zosima and Saint Sabbas in front of the Solovetsky Monastery, both nimbate and dressed in the Abbot’s garments, holding the model of the monastery offered to God, represented in the sky as a dove upon a cloud; arabesque frame; inscriptions in Old Slavonic with the names of the saints.
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. Matthieson, S., Morrison, G., Heavenly Beings, Icons of the Christian Orthodox World, Auckland, 2022, p.66, for a similar icon.
Footnotes
Saints Zosima and Sabbas or Sabbatius were highly venerated Orthodox saints, founders of the Solovetsky Monastery, a fortified monastery located in the White Sea in Northern Russia. This double portrait shows Zosima and Sabbas holding up a model of their religious institution, which resembles a small medieval city. Solovetsky Monastery obtained big investments from the city of Novgorod and established itself as one of the richest monasteries in Russia.
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LOT 2139
Russian Orthodox Enamelled Bronze Travel Icon with Saints Zosima and Sabbas
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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