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Icon depicting the Virgin of Smolensk, 19th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels
Height × width: 14.5 × 12.5 cm. Weight
an image of Mary that takes its name from the city of Smolensk. According to tradition, the icon was used by Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos to bless the streets of Constantinople on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter Anna to Prince Vsevolod of Yaroslavl, and it arrived in Russia in the 11th century. In the 12th century, Vladimir II Monomakh solemnly donated it to the city of Smolensk, where the image was placed in the Cathedral of the Dormition. It was later lost during World War II. Furthermore, this object belongs to the group of icons of the Russian Old Believers, which were mass-produced from the 17th century onward. These artifacts were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability made them easy to carry and, when necessary, to conceal, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, after the schism known as the Raskol, underwent periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.
Provenance:
Carlo Maria Biagiarelli Antiquario - Roma
29/07/2026 01:11:04
Lot closes
1g -24h 0m 0s
Time left
€ 250,00 / 300,00
Estimate
60,00 €
Starting price
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Live auction 396

OLD ORTHODOX ICONS FROM 17TH UNTIL 20TH CENTURY. Including a collection of important Traveling Russian Icons

Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, tue 29 September 2026
SINGLE SESSION 29/09/2026 Hours 15:00
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