Featured Need help with EVERYTHING about this painting!!

Hello there, Im a new member and I wanted to Ask for help Identifying this as far as what region it might be from, timeframe and could it be Authentic?

Backstory on this is I won a Storage auction and this was in it, along with several other religious artifacts. I do believe it’s genuine just given the way that it’s framed to hold together the wood it’s painted on - I think it could’ve come from a church. But thats just a thought. The second photo is the back of the painting . I have no other pictures beyond the two. I left it in the storage because I didn’t Have a proper way to wrap it up and transport it without it getting damaged. I apologize for there only being two photos. But any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Welcome
Here's another item with the same image, and useful info
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/auction-pick-up-of-a-russian-icon-on-wood-is-it-old-old.82171//

 

Welcome, Shakespeare 101. Orthodox icons are not my field, but to my uneducated eye this looks like quite a nice one, &, unless someone went to a great deal of trouble to fake it, looks genuinely old, valued enough to go to some pains to hold it intact. (Or couldn't bear to chuck Mary & the Child in the trash bin.)

 

I was typing while Marote was posting. Reviewing that previous thread certainly brings one back down to earth on these. Someone is willing to take the pains to make these appear old.

 

Our Lady of Smolensk according to the internet.

Debora

 

While Google AI, which is having no difficulty producing visual matches, told me:

It is described as being in the style of "Our Lady of Rumeli".

 

These three
https://www.willhaben.at/iad/kaufen-und-verkaufen/d/ikone-muttergottes-mit-kind-2084469097/

https://auctionet.com/en/3230715-icon-icon-of-mary-mother-of-god-with-jesus-boy-17th-century

https://www.ebay.com/itm/386254320424

Have a sticker on the back, with '1679, Dubrovnik' (Croatia)

 

I'm going to say it's not that old. That bark in the back is a dead giveaway that they left it on because most people think that the older something is, the rougher it was made. That is generally the opposite. Genuine antiques were made at a time when the item would have been expensive and no one would spend their money on junk. People took more care and pride in their work. Fakers play on this misunderstanding of antiques.

 

She is the Mother of Smolensk, aka Smolenskaya.

The crack only goes through the icon itself, not through the inner frame. Yet the inner frame has a perfect size for the extra width of a cracked panel, so the panel was already cracked when it was framed. That is a sign that this was painted fairly recently on old wood.
So it is a fake, meant to deceive. Unfortunately there are many fake icons out there.
As for origin, most fakes are made in Russia.

Most genuine icons for sale, whether antique or new, are made for the home, for instance home altars.
Orthodox churches have what is called an iconostase, a wall covered with icons, like a paneled wall. Those icons are generally taller than the home use ones and they represent specific groups of (male) saints and angels, in a set pattern.

Yes, another sign, a rough back. Which icon painter would not prepare the wood entirely?

 

Some faker has a thing for the year 1679 and Dubrovnik.
I can understand a fascination with Dubrovnik, it is a very beautiful city. But what is the faker's link with 1679? Maybe he was born in 1976?

 

Example of an iconostase:

 

This etsy seller https://www.etsy.com/listing/4380345639 says it's a repro after an original by "J. Dogau (1679, Dubrovnik)"

No idea who that 'J. Dogau' is, as google only shows links to this and other etsy/ebay/pinterest items, or tries to convince me that I'm actually looking for info about a dog

 

So they do say it is a repro. Maybe Doqau, with a q? Like the headphones.

 

I also thought it looked more like a q ... and got the same headphone result

 

Yes, Dogan is a Croatian name. So JM Dogan moved from Dubrovnik to Zagreb or vice versa.
Crete sounds good for an icon style, it is icon country. As long as it isn't the Smolenskaya.

On the Austrian site it says "Replika aus der Kathedrale Dubrovnik", replica from the cathedral of Dubrovnik.
The cathedral has a Madonna and child icon with an impressive silver oklad. The position of the Madonna is somewhat remiscent of the Smolenskaya Madonna, only the Dubrovnik one holds a sacred heart in one hand. The icon on the Austrian site doesn't, she is a Smolenskaya imo.
Still, 10 euro for an icon is a bargain.

 

The surname "Dogau" is rare, but closely related names like Dogaru (Romanian for cooper/barrel maker), Godau (Germanic/French, maybe from "happy-go-lucky"), and Dogao suggest origins in Romania (occupational) or Germanic/French areas (nickname/place name), pointing to trades or personal traits, with common appearances in Europe and the US.
Possible Origins & Meanings

• Dogaru (Romanian): Occupational, from dogar (cooper/barrel maker), related to wooden vessels.
• Godau (Germanic/French): Might stem from Old High German Godehard (god + strong/brave) or Old French gode (happy-go-lucky/debauched). It could also be a place name (Godau/Godow).
• Dogao (Balkan/Mediterranean): Believed to have emerged from local trades or characteristics, though records are sparse.

 

Any is right about Orthodox iconostasse but there are exceptions to this - in many village churches there are framed and hanged on the walls icons in addition to the central part called iconostasse. I am not saying anything about the TS icon as I cannot judge authenticity, I am only saying that icons can hang in churches apart from homes.
There are also collections of icons in BG institutions - in the National Art Gallery, exhibited in the vasement of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, also in the regional Art Gallery in Stara Zagora-these I have seen, there may be more in the other parts of Bulgaria.