Catalog: Vintage Arts: Furnishings (19)

A very fine 19th century Imperial Russian wooden Easter egg with polychrome decoration of Christ Pantocrator in the traditional double gesture of blessing and teaching. The figure, especially the face, is beautifully detailed. The back side of the egg bears the gilt letters "XB" for "Christ is Risen." The egg is completed with its original ribbon, appropriately brittle with age. Careful examination of the drill holes in the egg show even oxidation of the wood's unpainted surfaces and the paint has typical aligatoring, consistent with a 19th century date.

Origin: Russia, ca. 1880. Condition: very good; some losses to paint at the upper and middle left of the background around the Christ figure. Dimensions: 2-5/8" long (excluding ribbon).