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

"Mother of God of Kazan" (Kazanskaya) - Late 19th century Egg tempera and gold leaf on panel Height x width: 31.5 x 26.5 cm One of the most venerated Marian images in Russian Orthodoxy and a historical protector of the nation. The Virgin is depicted in a half-length, narrow-shouldered pose, her head bowed deeply—with a protective and elegiac air—toward the Christ Child, who stands on the right, facing forward in a strictly vertical posture. Mary wears a characteristic brownish-purple *maphorion* (mantle) with pronounced folds highlighted in gold; on her shoulders, it is adorned with a star—rendered via punched metalwork—symbolizing her perpetual virginity. The Christ Child is shown standing, visible down to the knees; his right hand is raised in a gesture of blessing, while his left hand and the rest of his body are draped in the golden folds of a *chiton* and *himation*. The faces of the sacred figures are rendered with refined, nuanced brushwork, featuring amber-toned complexions and intense gazes directed straight at the viewer. The background is dominated by opulent, raised ornamentation designed to resemble a metal covering (*riza* or *oklad*), enriched with elaborate polychrome enamel—in shades of light blue, deep blue, and white—that adorns the borders of the halos and the sacred monograms of the Virgin, which are positioned in the upper corners. Flanking the central composition, within two arched niches set into the left and right sides of the golden border, are full-length figures of two significant devotional figures: a guardian archangel dressed in white on the left, and a female saint—a nun or ascetic—in dark attire on the right. At the bottom of the Marian scene, a blue-enameled cartouche bears a clear inscription in Cyrillic characters, identifying the icon by its specific title. 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.