Lot 675

AN IMPORTANT RUSSIAN ICON OF THE TRINITY, CIRCA 1600.

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AN IMPORTANT RUSSIAN ICON OF THE TRINITY, CIRCA 1600.

Estimate: $5,000 - $10,000

Starting Bid: $4,000

(0 Bids)

by Jackson's International
August 12, 2026 9:00 AM CDT
Live Auction
2229 Lincoln Street
Cedar Falls, IA, US 50613

AN IMPORTANT RUSSIAN ICON OF THE TRINITY, CIRCA 1600.
Comprising a very fine and interesting Russian icon of the "Royal Doors" variant of the New Testament Trinity, Stroganov School, circa 1600. Here the Holy Trinity is depicted in heaven, the trees and plants symbolizing Paradise. At center is an altar called the throne (Greek Hetimasia) and above within a blue celestial aureola is a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit as identified by the corresponding inscription. To the right is God the Father seated on a throne. He has the "eight-pointed slava" (glory) behind his head, which symbolizes his eternal nature (the eight points traditionally signify the days of Creation, with the eighth day being the "Day of Eternity". Seated at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1 and Romans 8:34) is Christ the Son opening his garments to expose his wounded flesh thereby representing the incarnation. Below them are the Royal Doors of an iconostasis depicting the symbols of the Four Evangelists and held aloft by angels. And in the upper corners the sun and moon. The borders are covered in a silver-gilt and chased basma. The upper portion of basma engraved with a lengthy highly stylized inscription being a variant (of which there are several) of the "Sermon of Blessed Theodoret on How to Make the Sign of the Cross,"  as repeated in chapter 31 of the Stoglav Council (1551) it begins, "God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; not three gods, but one God in Trinity.  The names are divided, but the Godhood is one.  The Father not born…" And towards the end an addition to the original text reading, "dwells in unapproachable light." It would seem the ending text variation was to emphasis that the depiction of God the Father was to be understood symbolically (dwells in unapproachable light) not literally. Both the Stoglav Council and later The Great Moscow Synod (1666-1667) strictly forbade depictions of God the Father. Nevertheless, it would seem the majority of icon painters ignored these prohibitions as icons of the New Testament Trinty (such as the offered lot) continuously remained popular. The upper right side of the basma (near God the Father) also engraved Gospod' Savaof — "Lord Sabaoth." Importantly, the verso of icon displays the Cyrillic stamp of Glavnauka (Central Administration for Scientific, Scholarly-Artistic, and Museum Institutions). And further with collector's label inscribed in English, "The Holy Trinity, purchased by A.F. Bemis in Leningrad" 12.5 x 10.75 inches (32 x 27.5cm).

Provenance:
Private American collection

Albert Farwell Bemis, (1870-1936) was a noted successful American businessman and authority on housing based in Boston. He earned an SB in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in 1893 and went on to form a number of thriving companies. Bemis traveled to the Soviet Union in the summer of 1928 to study its social, political, and industrial systems, and documented his observations in his 1928 article, "Social and Economic Problems in Russia," published in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Presumably, it was at this time in which he acquired the offered icon which would correspond to the Glavnauka stamp on verso.

Glavnauka, (The Central Administration for Scientific, Scholarly-Artistic, and Museum Institutions,) was responsible for the centralized administration of culture and science in the RSFSR from 1922 to 1933. Operating under the People's Commissariat for Education (Narkompros), it oversaw the state's academic institutions, museums, and historical heritage. Glavnauka also oversaw the confiscation of religious art. While it sometimes attempted to protect the oldest, most historically valuable icons by placing them in museums, Glavnauka routinely transferred "liquidation" assets (including icons) to the state monopoly known as Antikvariat. Antikvariat, a specialized Narkompros branch operated by the Communist Party, managed the actual international sales of these expropriated artworks to Western buyers and diplomats to generate foreign currency.

  • Condition: Overall, very good condition, the paint layer is stable with no signs of losses or lifting. UV blacklight examination reveals a few minor insignificant scattered retouches.

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Bid Increments
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$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 + $1,000