TimeLine Auctions Limited
Lot 369
Istanbul, circa 1860 A.D. Showing the standing Taxiarches (commanders of the Heavenly Army) Michael (A[rchangel] M[ichael]) and Gabriel (A[rchangel] G[abriel]); Michael dressed in pseudo-Roman scale armour worn over a garment with hanging pteryges, partially covered by his military cloak, the raised right hand holding a sword and the left hand resting on a shield; Gabriel dressed in long mantion (a cloak fastened under the neck), long court dress with embroidery, holding the messenger’s flower in one hand and the Globe of the Divine Power over the world in the other; floral frame; fabric mark in Turkish and Greek (ω) near the right shoulder of Saint Michael. Cf. for an icon of Virgin Mary in similar style, produced in 19th century Istanbul, Geelmuyden Bulgurlu, V., Ulf, A., Lindgren, N., Bodin, H., Balicka-Witakowska, E., Five essays on icons, Stockholm & Istanbul, 2005, fig.3, p.26. 285 grams, 16.2 x 12 cm (6 3/8 x 4 3/4 in.). Property of a London, UK, gentleman collector.The icon is from a workshop of Constantinople circa 1860 A.D. During the Turkokratia (the Turkish domination) the Orthodox inhabitants of Constantinople continued to trust their protection to the powerful military commanders of the Heavenly Host, the Archangels. Following the Slavic style, the icons were often covered by embossed silver plates (riza), generally reproducing the same figures on the painted wood.