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Wonderful and unusual signed religious folk-art sculpture, hand painted on a naturally weathered, highly irregular piece of wood.
The sculpture measures approximately 18 inches tall × 6 inches wide and is painted on multiple surfaces, allowing the natural contours, openings, cracks and texture of the wood to become part of the composition.
The principal image depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child in an Orthodox/Byzantine-inspired style, with architectural/church imagery rising above them. A natural opening in the wood contains a small suspended bell, adding another sculptural element to the piece.
One side reveals an especially striking large painted face that follows the curvature of the wood, with architectural imagery above. The artwork continues around the piece rather than being confined to a single flat surface, making it particularly interesting when viewed from different angles.
The reverse is signed “R. Nenova.”
The artist has not been definitively identified. The Nenova surname is strongly associated with Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, and the overall imagery and treatment are consistent with 20th-century Balkan / Eastern European Orthodox devotional and folk-art traditions. Similar Greek and Balkan religious works were produced by painting Byzantine-inspired imagery directly onto naturally shaped or aged wood. However, no specific country, artist attribution or date is guaranteed with this piece.
This is not a conventional flat panel icon. It is better described as a signed painted natural-wood devotional sculpture or folk-art icon, incorporating the original form of the wood into the artwork.
Details
- Signed: R. Nenova
- Approx. 18” H × 6” W
- Hand painted natural / weathered wood
- Virgin Mary and Christ Child imagery
- Orthodox / Byzantine-inspired religious iconography
- Painted imagery continues around multiple sides
- Integrated hanging bell
- Vintage / 20th-century appearance
- Artist and exact country of origin currently unidentified
The natural wood has extensive cracking, fissures, irregularities, losses and weathering. These characteristics appear integral to the material and overall artistic presentation. Painted surfaces also show age, wear and areas of loss. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
A distinctive one-of-a-kind piece for a collector of Orthodox icons, religious folk art, Balkan or Eastern European art, outsider/vernacular art, or unusual painted wood sculpture.
