Lot number 1665 - Auction 131
WITHDRAWN

The Novgorod Museum has officially filed a claim, as it is suspected that the icon is war booty. For this reason, we have withdrawn the icon.


Das Museum von Novgorod hat offiziell Ansprüche angemeldet, da die Vermutung im Raum steht, dass die Ikone Kriegsbeute ist. Aus diesem Grund haben wir die Ikone zurückgezogen.


A HIGHLY IMPORTANT ICON SHOWING THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST FROM THE CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION IN VOLOTOVO Russian, Novgorod, circa 1470/1480 Tempera on wood panel with kovcheg. 89.3 x 57.9 cm. The vertical axis of the panel is formed by the body of Christ on the cross. To His left stand the mourning Mother of God and Mary Magdalene, to his right stand John, who has placed his hand in mourning on his cheek, and Longinus with a red cloak and shield. Below the cross appears the skull of Adam. In the background, the city wall of Jerusalem completes the composition. Images of Christ's death on the cross in Byzantine and ancient Russian art were typically characterized by a particular restraint in conveying the Savior's suffering and the tragic experiences of the witnesses to His execution. Christ, whose body is shown in an elegant curve, appears to float bodiless on the cross. The focus is not on His physical suffering but on His role as the Savior of humanity, His imminent resurrection, and His victory over death, opening the way to eternal life. This significant testimony of Novgorod icon painting captivates with its excellent quality. Stylistically, this Crucifixion closely aligns with five icons currently housed in the museum in Novgorod (Inv. 7583, 7580, 10913, 2179, 3770). These stylistically related icons depict the Procession of the Virgin (90 x 58 cm), the Transfiguration of Christ (88 x 57 cm), the Raising of Lazarus (89.5 x 60 cm), the Descent into Hell (89.5 x 59.5 cm), and the Assumption of the Virgin (90.5 x 56 cm). In 1926, the Novgorod Museum received icons from the Church of the Assumption in the village of Wolotowo near Novgorod, built in 1352 by Bishop Moses. The icons housed in the museum today were mentioned in the 1925 publication "A Brief Guide to Ancient Russian Painting and Sewing in Nowgorod and Pskow" by E. I. Silin, N. A. Reformatskaya, and N. E. Mneva, which aimed to document Russian painting in the churches in the Novgorod region. Silin's description mentioned the icons currently in the museum in the Assumption Church. Silin's description also mentioned four other icons with the Annunciation, the Entry into Jerusalem, the Baptism, and the Crucifixion of Christ. However, these are considered lost. In a publication about the icons of Wolotowo by N. G. Porfiridov in 1940, the author speculated that these icons were not originally painted for Wolotowo. According to Porfiridov, the dimensions of the icons with the feast days suggest this. According to the classic structure of the festival series in Novgorod churches, in addition to the listed, existing, and missing icons, the festival rank originally should have included the Nativity of Christ, the Ascension, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. However, since the length of the iconostasis wall in Wolotowo is only slightly more than 6 meters, and the average width of the icons of 58 cm results in a total width of about 7 meters, it seems that the icons were originally made for another church. Porfiridov concludes that the iconostasis was probably transferred from another church to Wolotowo after its reconstruction following the fire of 1825. Not only the stylistic resemblance but especially the dimensions of the icon measuring 89.3 x 57.9 cm attest that the offered Crucifixion was once part of the church iconostasis in Wolotowo near Novgorod. Although the exact history of the offered Crucifixion icon since its mention by Silin cannot be traced, it is likely that it suffered the fate of so many cultural artifacts in Russia after 1917. It is plausible that the offered Crucifixion icon made its way to the Western countries during the sales in the 1920s.