Russian school, probably of the Old Believers,... Lot 47

Russian school, probably of the Old Believers, 17th-18th cent. 17TH-18TH CENTURY. "The Protection of the Mother of God", or "The Virgin of Pokrov". Tempera and gold leaf on carved panel. Measurements: 30 x 24.5 cm. "The Virgin of Pokrov" is one of the iconographies typical of the Russian Orthodox Church, although it describes events that took place in Constantinople around 910. The story was originally taken from the biography of Andrew of Constantinople, who, together with his disciple Epiphanius, saw the Mother of God flying over the Church of St Mary of Blanquernas, covering the believers with her omophorion as a symbol of protection. On several occasions the story was modified, the last being the version of Bishop Demetrius of Rostov, composed towards the end of the 17th century, who said that among those who saw the miracle were John the Baptist, John the Apostle, Andrew of Constantinople, and King Leo the Wise. The significance of this miracle is that the Mother of God protected the city of Constantinople against the Muslim invasion. The prototype of the icon of the protection of the Mother of God, or, in Russian, Pokrov, developed around the 14th century, although it became more widespread in later centuries. Its iconography can be easily distinguished by the cathedral with five domes in the background, and the figure of the Virgin Mary always located in the central register of the icon, with St John the Baptist and Andrew of Constantinople in the lower register on both sides, indicating the appearance of the Virgin with their index fingers. On this basis, two main typologies can be distinguished, that of the Novgorod school and that of the Rostov-Suzdal school, which was eventually absorbed by the Moscow school around the 17th century. It would be fair to say, however, that just as the features of the Rostov school, the features of the Novgorod school also ended up influencing the Moscow school, the most heterogeneous of all the Russian icon-painting schools. In the case of the lot of interest, its iconography is mixed between Novgorod and Rostov-Suzdal features at the same time, which may indicate that the icon was produced in a Moscow workshop. On the one hand, the angels holding the Virgin's omophorion are an element typical of the Novgorod school. On the other hand, the protagonists include Roman the Méloda, the author of many songs dedicated to the cult of the Virgin, a regular character in the icons of Rostov-Suzdal. In chronological terms, the icon belongs to a period between the 17th and 18th centuries, which is indicated by the darker colour range, with an evident abundance of brown and greenish tones, the architectural elements, and the painter's knowledge of perspective, which is evident in the lower register of the icon. This icon has several curious features, which show that it most probably belongs to the workshops of the Old Believers. Firstly, the carved border. Secondly, the iconographic scene, like the saints, is accompanied by numerous inscriptions. Thirdly, the letters 'ICXC', visible in the upper register, are an abbreviation of the Greek for the name of Jesus Christ. Finally, the crosses that decorate the domes have eight dots, and the fingers of the saints show the blessing with two fingers, features typical of the icons of the Old Believers. The Old Believers were a group of the Orthodox who, after Nikon's church reforms of 1654, decided to follow their opponent Avvakum, defending the traditional foundations of the Orthodox Church. Fleeing persecution, they settled in the Pomorie villages near the Urals and in Siberia, although by the 18th century they began to settle in the northern areas near Moscow.