872/​1436

Novgorod School, c. 1500

A highly important large and Russian iconostasis church icon from a Deesis row depicting the Archangel St. Mikhail in full length. Tempera on wood panel with a kovcheg. Novgorod School, c. 1500. 127.5×55 cm.

A typically Russian element in the church is the iconostasis, introduced in the thirteenth century in Novgorod, now some 300 kilometres to the southeast of St Petersburg. A wall of icons separating the altar from the nave, and thereby from worshippers, the iconostasis quickly became a canonical, or official, part of the Russian Orthodox church interior. The area of the church around the altar, known as the sanctuary, is considered the most sacred part of the building and may only be entered by the clergy. In the Byzantine church, chancel and nave were separated by a templon, or sanctuary rail. Its evolution in Russia into a closed wall of icons prevented worshippers from even looking at the altar. The iconostasis comprises rows of icons, arranged according to a set theological order, and a number of openings or sets of doors.

Exhibited: The Archbishop’s Palace Museum in Trondheim 1999.

Provenance: Acquired by Richard Zeiner-Henriksen 1922–1931 in St. Petersburg.

Related ex.: The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, and the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery Museum, Yaroslavl.

Condition

Thickness of panel 34 mm.

The submission of bids on this lot number requires the prior registration of a valid debit/credit card, presentation of photo ID and the payment of a deposit of 25.000 DKK on request. Registration of debit/credit card, photo ID and deposit is due no later than the 8th June.

Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.

Additional Remarks

The submission of bids on this lot number requires the prior registration of a valid debit/credit card, presentation of photo ID and the payment of a deposit of 50.000 DKK on request. Registration of debit/credit card, photo ID and deposit is due no later than Friday 26 May.

Please contact Bruun Rasmussen regarding this via email: bids@bruun-rasmussen.dk or tel.: +45 8818 1013.

Auction

Russian art & icons, 9 June 2017

Category
Estimate

800,000–1,000,000 DKK

Sold

Price realised

4,100,000 DKK