Russian icon from the first third of the 19th century.
"Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple".
Oil on panel.
It presents damages.
Measurements: 52,5 x 71 cm.
The icon in question shows us a scene from the life of the Virgin Mary: her presentation in the Temple as a child. The narrative is set in a sober interior dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and that serves to differentiate the two planes of the composition, as well as to order the main figures: on one side, St. Anne and St. Joachim, progenitors of the Virgin; on the other side, Mary, who climbs the seven steps, and the priest Zechariah. It is a work ascribed to the Russian school both for the hieratism in the figures, as for the golden nimbuses; although in a certain way westernized due to the Italianate interior in which the scene takes place. The attention to detail, especially appreciable in the main characters, denotes the technical skill of the painter. The greenish tone in which the frame of this icon is painted dates back to the 18th century, when this type of polychrome began to be popular in Russia for the backgrounds of icons, or for large fields of color.
The entrance of the Virgin into the Temple has a powerful religious meaning for Orthodox Christianity, having its own day for its celebration: November 21 of the common calendar or December 3 of the Julian calendar. In the liturgy of this festivity the virginity of the Virgin Mary and her moratorium and exemplary character are extolled.