Although heavily overpainted, this icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk changed hands for €13,000 (£11,205) at Dr Fischer.
Determined international bidders knew exactly what they were looking for at the sale of icons and Russian works of art held by Dr Fischer (28% buyer’s premium) in Heilbronn on May 14-15.
A large icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk, a subject revered in Russia since the mid-12th century, caused the biggest surprise. Although of 16th century origin, the 21 x 16in (54 x 42cm) icon had been vastly overpainted in the 20th century, so that only a few traces of the original decoration remained and it was priced accordingly at €600-700.