ICON IN SILVER OKLAD ‘ST. BASIL THE GREAT (?)’ Russia, mid-XIX century.
Lot 146
200300
Wood, oil.
Oklad - silver, chased, engraved. Brass crown. The illegible stamps (in the middle of the icon)
12 x 9.5 cm.
Condition: painting is under a layer of darkened varnish. There are traces of re-engraving of the inscriptions on the oklad. An exquisite silver oklad with a high relief of ornaments and draperies of clothes, made in the baroque style, subtly emphasizes the splendor of the image.
The Saint is depicted with a blessing gesture and a massive Church book. St. Basil the Great (circa 329-379) received a brilliant secular education, but preferred the spiritual life and became Archbishop of Caesarea and then Constantinople. He composed the rite of the liturgy, a variety of teachings and interpretations, and fought against heretics-Arians.