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1826n: "St. John the Forerunner"
Image information
"St. John the Forerunner" 19th century. Kubintsevo village, Gorodetsky district, Nijny Novgorod province.
Size: 31,6 x 25,5 x 2,8cm
Technique & Material: Solid board, gesso, tempera, silver leaf, drying oil
Description: The icon displays a remarkable sample of high national icon-painting: simple, laconic, clear and bright. The icon is free from any decorativeness and excessive details, and represents a prayerful sacred image. In spite of lapidary simplicity of icon, a professionalism of the author is evident, due to usage of complex technique of multi-layered painting. It allowed creating a semi-transparent face of St. John, which look as being slightly illuminated from beneath. A rectangular piece of silver leaf at the top part of icon is a so-called ‘light’.
The reason for location of a small piece of silver leaf is the ancient canon, which required covering background of icons with silver or gold leaf, to symbolize the heavenly light. But, due to high cost of these materials, only the few were able to afford an expensive full-background decor.
From the 17th century, secular icon-painters sometimes fully replaced gold and silver by similarly looking paint, however, the monastic icon-painters did not break the ancient rule, and placed a small piece of ‘light’ at the icon, if they could not have enough silver leaf for full background coverage. For amplification of sacral content of the icon, the older icon board was used as a basement.
There are detailed author’s carved writings, with indication of customer’s name and location. Ideal state of preservation After its arrival, the icon was almost totally black, but after museum cleaning, clear and bright paints revealed themselves.
High Resolution Images: fragments.
Price: EUR 700.-
