Bidspirit auction | Russian Icon depicting the Archangel

Russian Icon depicting the Archangel Gabriel with silver riza, Moscow 1896-1908 - Tempera on panel with silver riza Height x widths: 18 x 14.5 cm. The icon features the refined and evocative iconography of Saint John the Baptist depicted as the ”Angel of the Desert, ” according to the Orthodox theological tradition that equates the Precursor with a celestial messenger (cf. Mt 11:10). The Saint is painted full-length and standing, equipped with large, feathered golden wings. He wears the typical camel hair vestment covered by a red cloak, while holding in his left hand a rolled scroll and a chalice containing his decapitated head, the symbol of his martyrdom. The pictorial composition is enclosed within an unusual and elegant oval-shaped reserve. The piece is mounted with a silver riza, fully hallmarked with 84 zolotniks (875/1000) silver marks, used in Moscow from 1896 to 1908, assayer Ivan Sergeevich Lebedkin, and the with the mark of an unidentified silversmith.