SIGNIERTE IKONE MIT DER GOTTESMUTTER ELEUSA Lot n° 25

NICOLAS KALERGIS A SIGNED ICON OF THE ELEOUSA MOTHER OF GOD Greece, circa 1720 Egg tempera on a gessoed wood panel. The Mother of God holding Christ with tenderness, the latter grasping the hand of his Mother. Their faces touching each other. Painted with a combination of red and blue on a gold ground. Greek inscription on the lower border with signature in red 'Deisis Tou Doulou Tou Theou Nikolaou Katrami Kheir Nikolaou Kalergis Tou Kriti'. The border with a black scrolling foliate design over bands of red, white and yellow. The edges minimally chipped, minimally restored. 19.5 x 15.5 cm. There are two painters with the recorded name Nicholas Kalergis neither of whom is known to have signed works as in this icon. The first, with only one known panel signed by him and dated 1651 in the museum of Heraklion, Crete, and the second who was active between 1699 and 1747, the son of the priest and icon painter Frangiskos Kalergis. Born on Crete he left Rethymon when it fell to the Ottomans in 1645 and settled on Zakynthos where his output was considerable and which includes a number of wall paintings and numerous icons some of which are held in the Zakynthos Museum. Kallergis painted in a range of styles and is known to have copied old icons brought to Zakynthos by Cretan refugees. An icon of St. Spiridon with scenes from his life in the Velimezis Collection, signed and dated 1744 is one of the last known dated works by Kalergis. NICOLAS KALERGIS SIGNIERTE IKONE MIT DER GOTTESMUTTER ELEUSA Griechenland, um 1720 Einzeltafel. Eitempera auf Kreidegrund, Hintergrund vergoldet. 19,5 x 15,5 cm. Am unteren Rand griechische Inschrift, Signatur in Rot 'Deisis Tou Doulou Tou Theou Nikolaou Katrami Kheir Nikolaou Kalergis Tou Kriti'. Liebevolle Wiedergabe der Gottesmutter in zaertlicher Umarmung mit ihrem Sohn, der seinen Blick auf seine Mutter gerichtet hat. Vegetabil gestaltete Randborduere. Es sind zwei Ikonenmaler mit dem Namen Nicolas Kalergis ueberliefert. Von dem einen is