Featured CAMEOS: Show & Tell or Ask & Answer

(the more I look at various "episcopal mantiya", the more I think Mitrofan/Mitrophan may be the guy -- because of the stylized crosses... his iconography has variations on this style, but all very similar. I'm not finding anyone else with that style of cross...)

I did find one of him with a book (not a bible):

Explanation of the book text found here: https://russianicons.wordpress.com/tag/mitrophan-of-voronezh/

 

My head is reeling from all this saintliness. Are you asking about the age of the ivory plaques or the jugate cameo you showed us. He who? Too recent for what?

 

Sorry for the confusion, lol... how old are the original pieces @kyratango posted?

There's another saint possibility, but I think the man who became a saint was too recently on this earth to be the subject of @kyratango 's pieces.

But I realized I don't know how old they are.

My jugate is not up for discussion other than as "ha-ha, look at the only cameo I can find" .

 

I saw that one. Glad you chased down the meaning of the book. It's a good maxim, but not scripture. It was Peter the Great who did away with having a Patriarch as head of the church, substituting a lay appointee. According to the write up at the link, Mitrofan is one of a number of state-approved saints not recognized by traditionalists. Probably doesn't rule him out as the subject of an ivory carving. I'd like to know where they were made. Dieppe was the big French center of the art, & specialized in religious subjects. Would they have taken on Orthodox notables, I wonder?

Could be Russian. @kyratango Do the edges at the bottom & top show Shreger lines? Russia uses mammoth ivory sometimes.

Right now guessing first third of 20th century, but would like to know whether they are the lighter color of the original set of pix or the yellower color of the detail photo supplied later.

 

Think this is the explanation for Basil's carrying a picture of the Madonna & Child:

An older tradition connects with Saint Basil the transfer to Ryazan of the wonderworking Murom Icon of the Mother of God

@Jivvy will like this bit:

Then the saint, after prolonged prayer, left for the River Oka, and spreading out on the water his bishop’s mantiya he stood upon it, holding in his hands the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Murom. A strong wind carried him against the current and after several hours he reached Ryazan, where he was received with reverence by the prince and people of Ryazan.

From: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2018/07/03/101876-st-basil-the-bishop-of-ryazan

 

Perhaps this had something to do with that (from 1920):




I did find another pic with a "book" -- I'd guess bible, but the resolution is terrible and there was no additional info with the image, so maybe not.



I grant you, if this is Mitrophan, it's unusual for him to be pictured without his staff.

 

In the cursory reading I have done about Mitrofan/Metrofan/Metrophanes, know there was something about his relics being discovered on 2 different occasions, although sounded more like they meant bones than an uncorrupted body.

This sort of thing is still done. St. Frances (Mother) Cabrini appears to repose in a New York church. Her remains are supposed to be there & they rather encourage the notion that you are looking at them when you look at this:

Think, as we saw with the other one, when the book is open, the point is the text that is shown. We don't know what it is in this case, whether a verse of scripture or more of M's words of wisdom, or something else altogether. I haven't seen any mention of his having been known in particular for his aphorisms.

Except we do have the other example in which his hands are busy managing the open book. This one is too blurry to make much of without some text to accompany it.

 

No date on them but from the writing on back I'd say end 19th/beginning 20th, the stickers (price???) Around 1920.

No Shreger lines on top...

They are as in my first set of pics, taken in day light after cleaning, pale ivory, no yellowing. I don't know if they are Russian, but we had a big Russian community who fled the revolution. Perhaps made in France for them. Anyway, I bought them in France.

It seems my patriarchs will cause you both an overdose of beards and orthodox Saints history, be careful

 

That's a reasonable hypothesis. Would put the pieces into my first third 20th period. Could be, since they are small, valuable, & spiritually meaningful, they were brought from Russia by refugees, the way the Rudolph Otto cameo I showed the other day was taken from Berlin to South America.

We at least have 2 good contenders for the saint. The other is going to be much more difficult. It seems a mitre is part of the kit for any Russian Orthodox bishop. There have not been so many patriarchs, but bishops are plentiful. I can't tell what would distinguish yours from any other, as the pose is conventional. I really think if he were meant to be a saint, he would have a halo.

 

The picture I posted in #1513 illustrates this episode.

 

Oh, good heavens. St. Barlaam of Khutyn, modern rendering.



Not holding the right thing. Think we can rule him out. Good.

 

@Jivvy



Already sold, so you may have to specify completed listings:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/283444504402

 

$75!!! What the what?

Oh, abalone on the back... wait what... "carved abalone"? um, righttttt.

Think they'll be providing a refund?

 

Molded glass « intaglio » backed with mother of pearl... described as carved abalone!
Sure there will be a return

 

Admittedly, the MOP backing is nicer than my moldy piece of paper backing... but not that much nicer.

 

Only if the buyer is relying on the description as accurate. It was a war between just 2 bidders, & winner has a feedback score of 3913, not a newbie. Also not an ID I recognize as one of the regular cameo bidders. My guess is they had a pretty good idea of what they would be getting. I just question whether it is glass or plastic.

Know I showed this before. You see them now & then. Plastic.



Wonder what happened with the faux coral cameo that went for over $200. Seller IDed perfectly accurately, but suspect competing bidders thought they knew better. Case in which buyer will be disappointed because item is just as described.

 

This has a similar look, but actually is carved shell with no covering:

 

I'm pretty sure it's glass, not plastic (mine is definitely glass and this looks like the painted bits are damn near identical). But two bidders in a bidding war. Maybe I should put mine up ($25, a steal!) for the loser.

The faux coral... perhaps, out of embarrassment, the winner won't attempt to return it.

 

Didn't check seller's return policy, but buyer can't complain NAD.

 

I know, but ebay... buyer is almost always right.