RUSSIAN, 18TH CENTURY

Details

AN EPIGONATION WITH THE SCENE OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
RUSSIAN, 18TH CENTURY
Christ in a rayed mandorla, flanked by Moses and Elijah, the three of them floating on clouds, below the disciples John, James and Peter fallen on the ground, the faces painted on canvas, the embroidery executed in gilt and silk thread on a moss-green velvet ground, sixteen seraphim applied on the lace border, the haloes, the figure of Christ and the faces of the seraphim, all outlined in simulated river pearls, set in a wooden, gilded and glazed frame
17½ x 17½ in. (44.5 x 44.5 cm) With the frame: 26 3/8 x 26 3/8 in. (67 x 67 cm)

Provenance

The Collection of George R. Hann

Literature

Sale catalogue of the George R. Hann Collection, 17-18 April 1980, Christie's New York, lot. 109, page 197

Exhibited

Carnegie Institute (Pittsburgh), Collection of George R. Hann, 12 Jan.-22 Feb. 1944, no.150 The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), 16 April-30 September 1944 The St. Louis Art Museum, Russian Icons and Objects of Ecclesiastical and Decorative Arts, 15 Sept.-15 Oct.1945 The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Religious Art from Byzantium to Chagall, 13 Dec. 1964-10 Jan. 1965

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The epigonation (in Greek meaning "upon the knee") is a stiff, diamond-shaped vestment worn by priests and bishops. It hangs at knee-height and symbolizes the sword of Christ and His triumph over death. The accessory is thought to have derived from the tradition of the Byzantine noblemen hanging a handkerchief from the belt of their costume. For similar epigonatia, see M. Acheimastou-Potamianou, Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Art, (Athens, 1986), nos. 246, 248, 252; J. Albani (Ed.), The Splendour of Heaven, (Athens, 2001), nos.29, 30.

More from Icons & Artefacts from the Orthodox World

View All