Russian school of the 19th century.
"Decorative plates depicting eight saints".
Tempera on ceramic.
Measurements: 59 x 35 cm (frame); 10 cm diameter of one piece.
Eight individual plates depicting eight different apostles. Most of the saints are not identified with inscriptions, however, among them are distinguished: archangel Michael in the lower left corner; St. John the Baptist in the second row from the bottom right, next to him St. Peter; and St. Paul in the upper right corner.
With the growth of the main centers of icon production and with the increase of communication between different areas of Russia, this type of production, such as decorative plates, smaller icons, portable iconostases, and other types of household objects, have become popular. Despite being treated a priori as souvenirs, such dishes had the same sacred character and purpose as icons.