35 - "Mother of God of Kazan" (Kazanskaya) - 19th century

"Mother of God of Kazan" (Kazanskaya) - 19th century Egg tempera on panel Height x width: 43.5 x 37 cm An intense and solemn testament to Orthodox sacred painting, faithfully based on one of the most venerated Marian prototypes in the Russian tradition. The composition features a close-up, monumental iconographic arrangement, characterized by a tight, bust-length depiction of the Virgin Mary, her head tilted markedly toward the Divine Infant. The Christ Child is shown on the right, depicted from the waist up in an upright, frontal position; He is captured in the act of bestowing a solemn blessing, His right hand extended toward the viewer, while His left hand remains concealed beneath the folds of His garments—a blue tunic and a voluminous carmine-red mantle. The Virgin’s face, with its elongated features evocative of the purest Byzantine tradition, expresses a profound and austere spiritual melancholy, underscored by large brown eyes beneath slender, arched brows, and lips set in an expression of sorrowful dignity. Mary wears the traditional maphorion in a rich, brownish-red hue, its edges embellished with intricate, geometric golden trim, accented by white beadwork and the customary eight-pointed stars on her forehead and shoulder—a dogmatic symbol of her perpetual virginity. The faces and skin tones are rendered using a warm, layered painting technique, in which bold, light-colored highlights lend a strong, three-dimensional quality to the sacred figures. These figures stand out against a gold background that bears the marks of time, framed by expansive, radiating incised halos and a dark wooden border that encloses the entire evocative, sacred composition. H.E. Most Rev. Francisco-Javier Lozano Sebastián, Titular Archbishop of Penafiel and Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus. Item condition rating: **** good. The lot is in good condition, with normal wear and defects commensurate with its age and use over time. There are restorations, areas of paint loss, and wear to the gilding; a vertical crack is present.