Featured Should i buy this for £1000? 17th century necklace with Russian icons

I saved a bit of money and wanted to invest it in something. Ive been offered this silver necklace by a friend and she claims its 17th century Russian. She's asking £1000 GBP for it. Is it worth buying for that price to make a profit? I know nothing about it.

 

It is very nice but it looks like the madonna icon was added to it at a later date. The style of the other paintings and the dress of the nun and monk look Western or Southwestern European to me, maybe even Latin American.
The nun looks Carmelite, and the monk could be Franciscan or Carmelite, maybe St John of the Cross?

Could we see the entire painting of the monk, including the part top left? Also a photo of the chain with the links in a straight line so we can see their shape properly?

And are there any silver marks?

 

Thank you Any-jewellery. This is very interesting and will give me some homework to do. These are the pics I've taken yesterday. Can't take any other pictures because she does not life close and she doesn't have a smartphone to take other pictures. Will be seeing here again in a week or two.

What would you advise? Is it not worth buying because the paintings are done in a later time period? Looking for hallmarks was the first thing I done but none to be found. I'm not even sure if it is that old.

 

The Western paintings could be 17th-18th century, if European. If they are Latin American they could be the same period or later.
I suspect this is a (South)Western European piece with the Russian madonna icon added later.
The nun and monk look like st Teresa of Avila and st John of the Cross, the main Carmelite saints. They were Spanish, the Roman Catholic Carmelite order has no relation to Russian Orthodoxy, and these saints would not be in a Russian prayer case.
The little icon would have to be studied closely, preferably out of the silver casing.

I don't know if the silver case is as old as the (possible) Carmelite paintings, but it is certainly antique. Since there are no marks, the style of the links could be a clue to the origin. There could be marks behind the paintings, but best not to mess with it. Maybe an expert can tell you more.

If you can take other pictures when you next see your friend, please make sure they are not blurry. I realize that is difficult with such a small item.

 

Just curious - are the images inserted, or painted directly on the metal?

 

It looks like they are painted on metal and inserted in the silver. They look a bit like mini Mexican retablos, but are likely to be European I think. Chantal is in the UK, if that helps.

 

I'd never shove all the eggs in one basket, so to speak. If your seed capital is a thousand quid, start with some lower value stuff that you find interesting, and research it. Sell that, and get a feel for how the market is.

fwiw, I'm not seeing a profit on that thing.

 

Does anyone know what something like this is called? Would love to see a comparable piece, to me this is intriguing. I'm not even sure how to search. "Silver Necklace Chain Religious Painting..." is getting absolutely nowhere. Can anyone come up with additional keywords for a successful search?

Or even a link to just one other similar?

I think important as far as a decision goes.

 

It looks like a locket to me, so maybe research "religious paintings locket". I agree with what Ownedbybear says, and also doubt it's anything like as old 17th C.

 

I haven't read all the replies about your item.

However, I wanted to caution about buying antiques as an investment. The antique market fluctuates for years at a time. Look at what has happened to antique furniture.

If you have an area that you are interested in, have studied it, and know when you are getting something undervalued, then that is a good investment.

Going out and spending a large amount of money on something you aren't sure about, is not a good investment strategy.

Save your money for the time being.

 

My personal philosophy is don't sink money you can't afford to lose into something that requires specialty knowledge to evaluate properly, unless you yourself have that kind of knowledge & do not need to rely on the assessment of someone else.

Agree with others that only the Madonna & Child looks Orthodox, the other images look Church of Rome to me & not of the highest quality. If this one is not John the Baptist's head on a platter but what it looks like to me, a representation of the Shroud of Turin


some cursory poking around says this relic has no recognized status in the Orthodox Church:

https://orthochristian.com/81330.html

'Of course, it must be stated quite clearly here that the Orthodox Church has no official opinion or view of this relic, and any article written by an Orthodox --however well informed--simply carries the opinion of its author(s), which may or may not be shared with other Orthodox who have given thought to the subject.'

Original quality of paintings doesn't look particularly good; condition far from perfect now; value of silver not great. Marks might make some difference to value. As shown, not seeing anything that would let you get your 1000 GBP back out, let alone 1001 GBP.

This is described as a travel icon:



https://www.langantiques.com/russian-silver-and-enamel-travel-icon.html

 

It is neither John the Baptist's head on a platter nor the Shroud of Turin. The shroud of Turin is a full body image, John the Baptist's head on a platter is a man's head on a platter.

It is the veil of Veronica, known to both Western Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholics. However, this miniature is a typical Western (Roman) Catholic depiction.
The Eastern Orthodox depiction would be like this icon:

 

Thank you, Madame, for sorting me out. I have no doubt the knowledge will serve me another time.

 

I honestly don't know what this necklace is, this sort of thing doesn't turn up in the USA much, but will echo what others said: antiques are something you buy because you like them, not because they're worth money. If you can get it considerably under the current market value, great. If it's full price but you love it, go for it. If you're hoping something will appreciate, don't waste your money.

IMHO this necklace would be a very expensive lottery ticket, and everyone knows the odds on those paying out.

 

I have never seen one like it, so I have no idea. I agree, it is important for the decision. But since neither Chantal nor any of us know enough about it, and her friend thinks it is something which it probably isn't, it is probably a case of when in doubt, don't do it.
I am not saying it is not an antique, it is imo. It is also intriguing and attractive. But it is an unknown item, and the fact that it is not entirely original makes me think don't do it. So that is two don't do its.
I think most of us don't just buy as investment, but simply because we like it and it is value for money. The market for most things is fickle.

 

You never know when a head on a platter comes your way, or a full body shroud for that matter. The veil of Veronica is not as nasty as the other two, I think I prefer that one, if any.

 

I think it is always good to find a comparable. I'm not suggesting she buy it. Just putting the challenge out for someone to find a comparable piece and what it sold for. We've got some pretty good researchers here.

 

It actually reminds me of this sort of thing, with devotional pictures substituted for the grandkids:

https://bookriot.com/2014/03/25/beautiful-vintage-antique-book-lockets/

 

That is a good question. I didnt really look at this detail you mention (I will now in the future)

That is very interesting to read. Yes it is a travel icon pendant I guess. I will not buy it after reading this and other answers from the members. Good thing I have asked first.