Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 19th century CE. A gorgeous wooden icon known as "Joy of All Who Sorrow" featuring the image of the Mother of God or Theotokos holding the Christ child at the center surrounded by angels, saints, and lay people, all delineated in rich tones of red, orange, blue, brown, pink, green, white, black, and copper egg tempera over gesso as well as liberal remains of gold leaf. The Virgin stands in a vibrant, apricot-hued mandorla displaying the traditional Hodegetria pose as she supports the Christ child with her left hand while gesturing toward him with her right. Both she and Christ are regally dressed in lengthy robes topped with mantles and heavy crowns encased in haloes. Supplicants, saints, church fathers, and angels surround the divine duo, grasping scrolls that contain Cyrillic script. Size: 11.7" W x 13.8" H (29.7 cm x 35.1 cm)

These figures are intended to be representations of 3 different realms with the angels at the top representing paradise, the saints and church fathers symbolizing heaven, and the poor and sick lay people representing earth. The top of the piece is bears a Cyrillic inscription of a version of its title: "The Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow." In icons of this type, a second Jesus is typically shown above Mary, gazing down from the clouds as the king of heaven, however he is curiously absent from this example.

Within the iconographic tradition of "Joy of All Who Sorrow," which is purely Russian without Byzantine precedent, the scrolls usually contain text from the Akathist to the Joy of All Who Suffer, most often from Kontakion 2, which translates: "Beholding the streams of wonders which pour forth from your holy icon, O most blessed Mother of God, in that you are the good helper of those who pray, the support of the oppressed, the hope of the hopeless, the consolation of those who grieve, the nourisher of the hungry, the clothing of the naked, the chastity of virgins, the guide of strangers, the assistance of those who labor, the restoration of sight to the blind, the clear hearing to the deaf, and the healing of the sick, in you we thankfully sing to God: Alleluia!"

The icon that served as inspiration for this example was first believed to create a miracle in the year 1688. A woman named Evfimiya, who was the sister of Patriarch Loachim, suffered from an incurable disease. One day as she was praying, Evfimiya heard a voice who proclaimed, "Evfimiya! Go to the Church of the Transfiguration of my son. There is the image called "Joy of All Who Suffer." The church was in Moscow where Evfimiya lived. She listened and followed the instructions of the mysterious voice and soon was cured.

Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Icons are not worshiped but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection

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#167318

Loss to upper left corner of verso, as well as chipping to peripheries of verso. Old inactive insect holes. Darkening of varnish. Expected nicks and abrasions, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining pigments and detail. Liberal remains of gilding. Suspension wire on verso for display.