ICON ‘THE MOTHER OF GOD WITH THREE HANDS’ IN SILVER-GILT OKLAD Volga region, mid-19th century
Лот 214
1 2001 800
Oklad: silver, chiselling, engraving, gilding
Hallmarks: master’s mark in Cyrillic ‘IU’ for Ivan Ivanov Udalov (1859-1909), assay master’s mark in Cyrillic ‘A.K’ for Kudrin Alexander Stakhiév (1854-1865) above the date 1860; ‘84’ silver standard hallmark and coat of arms of the city of Nizhny Novgorod (deer in a shield); inscription in Cyrillic ‘weight 103 1/9 zolotniks’, equivalent to approximately 440 gr.
wood, levkas, gold leaf, tempera
30.2 x 24.8 cm
Condition: overall in good condition, some retouches and paint loss, oklad without restoration, minor deformations and loss of a few spokes on the crown.
‘The Mother of God with Three Hands’ (‘Troeruchnitsa’) is a miraculous image before which Saint John Damascene was healed of his severed hand. As a sign of gratitude for his healing, John Damascene affixed a silver hand to the icon, hence the name given to the icon. The oklad is impressive for its voluminous and refined decoration. The icon is of significant interest to collectors.