Icons for SALE

The Virgin Enthroned. Click yhe icon for bigger view

17th century from Seststrmo, Pazardjik district; tempera on wood, 81 .5x52 cm; National History Museum, invt. No in RTS 1444.

The icon is from the old graveyard church in the village where the first divine service was held for the April Uprising in 1876. After the defeat of the Uprising the church was burnt down to ashes by the Turks. The whole lower part of the icon was damaged by the fire and the inscriptions in the base were destroyed. Restoration and treatment by infrarays and roentgenography made legible only part of the inscriptions reading: "The icon was painted to commemorate,.."

The abundance of gilt in the icon in the ornaments of the vestments and in the frame elaborately carved and decorated with a plant ornament (vines and rosettes), the subdued color, the manner of laying the bodily colors by underlining volume beneath and over the eyes and the richly decorated Baroque throne attest to high masterly professionalism and associate this work of art with a series of icons of the same time from Sofia, Etropole and some monasteries by Turnovo.