Less than 48 hours left for a very rare and special auction of Byzantine icons, personal items of Tsar Alexander II as well as contemporary Greek and Cypriot art.
Αrt consultancy La Parole Divine organises an auction of Russian and Greek Icons and, Greek and Cypriot Art, on the 15th December at the Four Seasons Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus.
Until then, the icons, paintings and sculpture to be offered in the auction are exhibited at the Four Seasons. The exhibition is open to the public.
A Quadripartite icon with The Crucifix in the centre, surrounded by four portraits of The Mother of God. Russian (Nizhny Novgorod), circa 1750
ICONS
The auction, the third of its kind to take place in Cyprus, includes 120 icons of total value in excess of 800,000 euro. The icons were painted in various Orthodox countries, mainly Russia, and also Greece, the Balkans and the Orthodo Levant. The consignors are mostly European and American collectors. To ensure their safe provenance, all icons have been checked against the Art Loss Register, the database of Interpol and that of the Russian Ministry of Culture.
A rare icon of St. Mary of Egypt. Russian,16th century
There is a variety of icons in the auction; large ones which were used during the public adoration and small ones that were meant to accomodate private devotion. The majority of the icons are painted on wood, but there are also iconsexecuted on glass or in enamel. The estimates range from €600 to €50,000 thus making it possible for collectors of all calibres to participate in the auction.
TSAR’S ITEMS
In addition to the icons, the auction will offer a group of objects which relate to Tsar Alexander II.
Among them, a portrait miniature of the Tsar painted by Alois Gustav Rockstuhl (1798-1877), as well as his ivory and gold table seal with the double-headed eagle carved in carnelian. A symbol of Orthodox Russia, The double-headed eagle features also on a gold cigarette case of 1880.
CONTEMPORARY GREEK AND CYPRIOT ART
The second part of the auction includes 38 Greek and Cypriot paintings. The main feature of these selected paintings is that they are largely produced by young, talented artists. Hence they provide great opportunities for investing in art, both because the artists are still on the rise of their career and also, because the market has not been saturated with their work. Some of the paintings included in the exhibitionwere previously exhibited in galleries and museums, and have also been published.
Innocence – Yianni Posnakof (1933-2010)
Lastly, the paintings part of the auction is completed by a painting executed by the British artist, Ian Norbury. The painting is of great interest to the Cypriot audience because it shows a scene of the everyday life in the Old Market in Famagusta prior to 1974.
The old market in Famagusta – Ian Norbury
Ian Norbury, who is nowadays a celebrated sculptor, used to live in Cyprus between 1965-1970 and worked from a studio in Hermes in Famagusta.
CYPRUS: A SUITABLE PLACE FOR THE SALE OF ORTHODOX ART
Cyprus is ideal for the sales of Orthodox Art, not only because it is an Orthodox country itself, but because it is located in the crossroads of Greece and Lebanon, two countries with long traditions in collecting this category. Cyprus is also an important outposts for the Russians, who are the dominant buyers in the market of Orthodox icons.
For further details please visit: www.russiangreekart.com
AUCTION Russian and Greek Icons and Contemporary Greek and Cypriot Art 15 December 2011, Four Seasons Hotel Limassol, CYPRUS
