Lot number 991 - Auction 142
SEHR SELTENE UND FEINE IKONE MIT DER GOTTESMUTTER 'PUTIMSKAJA' (MOLCHENSKAJA) MIT RIZA

A VERY RARE AND FINE ICON SHOWING THE MOLCHENSKAYA MOTHER OF GOD WITH RIZA (PUTIMSKAYA) Russian, probably Kaluga, last quarter 18th century Tempera on wood panel. Finely executed in great detail on a gold ground. Seven selected saints on the borders, Sts. Yulitta and Kirik among them. The Molchenskaya is a wonderworking Marian icon, where Mary is often depicted holding a ladder, along with other symbols such as clouds, a mountain, and a rainbow. The original icon was said to have been brought by monks from the Kyiv region to a place near the Molchenskoe Swamp. In 1405, a beekeeper reportedly discovered the icon in a linden tree, shining with a bright light, and heard a voice commanding the construction of a church. Overlaid with a richly engraved silver-gilt riza. 29.1 x 24.6 cm.