David Popiashvili Art

Icon of Our Lady of Jerusalem. Egg tempera on gesso and over a wooden board. Dimensions in centimeters: 42 x 34 x 2 cm / In inches: 16.54 x 13-39 x 0-79 " Author: Oliver Samsinger...

acrylic on wood panel

The Virgin of Kataphyge with Saint John the Evangelist, after a Bulgarian Byzantine icon of the 14th Century. Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and wood. Author: Oliver Samsinger...

Christ, the Great High Priest. Greek-Italian style Icon with silver filigreed oklad. Egg tempera, over gesso on wood with a silver cover, "oklad", with pol...

Icilio Federico Joni. Italian ( b.1866 - d.1946 ). Painted Gesso, Gilt and Wood Tavolette Book Cover Binding in the Sienese Biccherna Style Book Cover size 11 inches x 8.1 inches ( 28cm x 20.5cm ). Frame size 16 inches x 13 inches ( 40.5cm x 33cm ). Available for sale; this painted gesso and gilt “tavolette” wooden book cover in the Biccherna style is by Icilio Federico Joni. The book cover is mounted and supplied in a contemporary black Tulip Wood frame (which is shown in these photographs) which is glazed with non-reflective Tru Vue UltraVue® UV70 glass. The wooden book cover is curved and float mounted giving a wonderful 3D depth to its presentation. The gesso and painted surfaces have benefitted from professional restoration which was performed on our instruction, supervision and approval. This antique book cover is now in very good condition, commensurate with its age. The frame presentation is new and in excellent condition. Combined, it wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The story of these panels and of their artist is fascinating, and begins in 13th century Siena: The Biccherna was the person who held the position of Magistrate of Chancellery of Finance from the 13th to the 14th century for the republic and the city of Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. The records of that office were very important because Siena was one of the earliest and most significant banking centres in Italy, and indeed in Europe. It became the fashion to keep banking and taxation records of the region in large books with painted leather covers. These were originally made from wood and leather. In the competition to make these ever more prestigious the bindings and panels on the front and rear of the books were painted by the major artists of the day, such as Giovanni di Paolo. Many of these mainly secular covers are displayed in the Archives of the State of Siena located in the Palazzo Piccolmini. The Gothic Revival of the 19th century occurred partly as a reaction against the progress of industrialisation in Europe generally. It was however greatly affected by the unification of Italy in the second half of the 19th century. This led to the closure and downsizing of many religious institutions, which resulted in the dispersal of thousands of works of art dating from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Many aristocratic and bourgeois families struggled to pay debts or simply to make ends meet and so they sold off their private collections and family heirlooms. There was then an influx of goods into the antiques market which provided a great deal of work for Italy’s restorers and craftsmen, since many of these pieces were in need of cleaning, repair and, in keeping with the interventionist tastes of the times, radical restoration, before they could be sold on, often to foreign buyers. These early Italian works became so fashionable that demand soon outstripped supply. This in turn gave rise to a new type of artist-craftsman capable of turning out from scratch increasingly convincing reproductions, imitations and out-and-out fakes. Siena naturally became the epicentre of this thriving cottage industry because of the extraordinary continuity there in traditional craft skills. This technical expertise had been handed down from generation to generation, and it was perhaps inevitable that a number of artists with real talent, the flair of commerce and a genuine love and understanding of antique Sienese art should adapt their skills to these new market conditions. Among these artists were Igino Gottardi, Alceo Dossena, Fulvio Corsini, Umberto Giunti...

By Martha Ochoa, contemporary painter of Catholic religious icons that revive Renaissance and Latin American Colonial art. This painting ...

"Christ Pantocrator". After an Icon in the style of the Moscow school (15th century). Somewhat similar to that of Rublev. Author: Oliver Samsinguer Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and on wood. Dimensions; (H) 42 x (W) 33.5 x (D) 3.5 cm. (H) 16.54 x (W) 13.19 x (D) 1.38 in. This is how the artist sums up the technique used by him to create the icon: “The aim of these steps is to create a durable painting. The icon is eternal. The first step is to choose a support, traditionally made of wood, from the center of the trunk to avoid warping it. For this purpose, two hardwood bolts were often used on the back to give the picture panel additional stability. Often a frame is milled out. Then the image carrier is sanded smooth and now 12 or 14 thin layers of gesso are applied and sanded smooth as well. Then the preliminary drawing is applied and the drawing board is prepared with a special preparation called bolus. This bolus can be polished to a high gloss. Afterwards, the gold leaf is "shot" with special brushes. It dries up within a few hours and can now be polished with an agate. Gold leaf is real 24-carat gold . Now, the actual process of painting begins. Egg tempera is made fresh from egg yolk, water, and a little vinegar. This is used to prepare the color pigments. Tempera painting is done in numerous layers from dark to light. When the icon is finished, it is left to dry for a few months and varnished with a special varnish called Olifa made from boiled linseed oil and other ingredients”. ABOUT THE ARTIST Oliver Samsinger...

Florentine painter (19th century) - Madonna with Child on a gold background. 77 x 58 cm. Oil on polylobed panel. Condition report: Good state of conservation of the pictorial surf...

Large, colorful abstract impressionist style painting by Cyrstofer/Christopher Shoemaker (Italian/German 20th c.) This piece is titled " Urban Coffee". It was part of a four paintin...

The Virgin of Tijvin (after a Russian icon in the style of the 18th Century). Egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso over wood. Measurements in centimeters: 45 x 36.5 x 3 cm / In inch...

This piece belongs to the first series of 6 large coins created by Natasha Lelenco in 2019, starting from the concept of the "face" and incorporating a floral background inspired by ...

Eliyahu Boxer Facets and Faces (triptych), 2023 acrylic and ink on canvas 60 x 150 cm 24 x 59 in Eliyahu was born in the United States and moved to Israel with his family at a ver...