Lot number 1565 - Auction 142
GROSSFORMATIGE IKONE MIT DER VERKÜNDIGUNG AUS EINER KIRCHEN-IKONOSTASE

A VERY LARGE ICON SHOWING THE ANNUNCIATION FROM A CHURCH ICONOSTASIS Russian, Kostroma, late 17th century Tempera on wood panel with kovcheg. The background stripped to gesso, partially restored. 51.5 x 37.5 cm. The icon originates from the Feasts Tier of an iconostasis and is a typical late 17th century iconographic version of the Annunciation formed in the Armoury icon-painting workshop under the influence of Western European prints. However, in this example the Armoury iconography is notably simplified and the architecture is rendered characteristically Russian. Such icons were particularly widespread in the art of the Volga region, which kept some unusual iconographic elements, e.g., the tiled floor and Archangel Gabriel's staff. The exuberant plumage of the Archangel's wings and the complex niello décor of the Virgin's throne are reminiscent of many Kostroma paintings. Both the prominent rendering of the faces with the heavy use of white in the modelling and the characteristic palette connect the painter with this artistic centre.