1322 - A FINE ICON DEPICTING THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST FROM A CHURCH ICONOSTASIS; Greek, 16th century; tempera on wood panel. The Mother of God stands on a rocky platform, kneeling before Christ, who is swaddled and placed in a rectangular manger. To the left of the mountain are two angels, and below them the three Magi; opposite them, an angel announces Christ’s birth to a group of shepherds. In the foreground, Joseph, lost in thought, hears the news from an elderly shepherd, while two maids prepare the newborn’s bath. The composition is rendered graphically with vivid colors on a gold ground. The border is carved from gilded wood with red edges. Minimally restored. 30 x 27.5 cm.

A FINE ICON DEPICTING THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST FROM A CHURCH ICONOSTASIS; Greek, 16th century; tempera on wood panel. The Mother of God stands on a rocky platform, kneeling before Christ, who is swaddled and placed in a rectangular manger. To the left of the mountain are two angels, and below them the three Magi; opposite them, an angel announces Christ’s birth to a group of shepherds. In the foreground, Joseph, lost in thought, hears the news from an elderly shepherd, while two maids prepare the newborn’s bath. The composition is rendered graphically with vivid colors on a gold ground. The border is carved from gilded wood with red edges. Minimally restored. 30 x 27.5 cm. FINE ICON DEPICTING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST FROM A CHURCH ICONOSTASIS Greece, 16th century. Solid, heavy hardwood panel; framing architectural gilded carving in high relief (trimmed on the sides). Tempera on a chalk ground; gilded halos. 30 x 27.5 cm. In a rugged, rocky landscape sparsely dotted with vegetation, the Virgin Mary kneels in the center of the image against a red background, pointing to the infant Jesus, swaddled in cloths and lying in a manger. On the left, the Three Wise Men appear with their gifts. They are dressed in richly ornamented, gilded robes, and their heads are adorned with small crowns. At the bottom left, Joseph sits in a pensive pose. A shepherd approaches him. In the upper right, three angels announce the good news of Christ’s birth to a shepherd. In the lower right, two midwives are washing the newborn Baby Jesus. An icon of exceptional color beauty, in an extraordinarily good state of preservation, of high artistic quality, and of the utmost rarity. Selective retouching.