The Great Feasts And Scenes From The Gospels And The Old Testament - Ancient Russian Icon

"The Great Feasts and Scenes from the Gospels and the Old Testament"
Ancient Russian icon

Egg tempera on wood with a gold background.

Moscow, early 19th century.

cm. 31 x 36


Splendid Russian icon of exceptional beauty, with 16 images in rectangular panels arranged around the large central scene depicting the Resurrection and the Descent into Hell of Christ.

This important work, painted on a gold background, expresses the highest pictorial level achieved by the famous Moscow school and manages to amaze for the spectacular manufacturing ability in the miniaturistic description of each detail.

The sixteen boxes arranged around the central table each represent a complete and well-defined scene in the description of the landscapes and the numerous protagonists with the following sequence:

The Birth of the Virgin - The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple - The Hospitality of Abraham and Sarah, or The Trinity of the New Testament - The Annunciation - The Birth of Christ - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - The Baptism of Jesus - The Entry into Jerusalem, or The Palm Festival - The Transfiguration on Mount Tabor with the Prophets Elijah and Moses and the Apostles Peter, James and John - The Ascension of Christ - The Dormition of the Virgin with Christ descending to collect the Soul of Maria Bambina.-- The resurrection of Lazarus- The beheading of the Baptist - The Adoration of the Holy Cross - The life of the Prophet Elijah with the chariot of fire- Pokrov, or the Protection of the Mother of God with King Constantine and Queen Elena.

Finally, the central table depicts the Resurrection of Christ and the descent into hell, the Christian Easter, considered the most important feast by the Byzantine Orthodox Church.

An elegant frame with dense geometric motifs decorates the edge of the table and a thinner one divides the central central scene from the 16 small perimeter squares.

The state of conservation is excellent and the gold background has a beautiful patina of the time.

It is a Russian icon of the highest quality, rare and precious, with a splendid chromatic range highlighted by the light radiated by the gold, a work that required great commitment on the part of a particularly gifted author.