19th century Russian icon.
"Saint curing a sick person".
Painting and gold leaf on wood.
In need of restoration. It presents marks of xylophages and lack of polychromy.
Measurements: 31 x 27 x 4 cm.
In a scene framed by ecclesiastical architecture, a saint seems to officiate a miracle, the healing of a sick person. It could be Saint Liduvina. All the figures are nimbly draped in sumptuous robes decorated with brocade. The shades of carmine, black and gold are impregnated with beautiful iridescence, giving a silky quality to the costumes. The gestures are elegant and the carriage stylised. The names of the saints are inscribed in Cyrillic on the gold leaf of the nimbuses.
Orthodox icons follow a tradition that is alien to representational painting. In icons, everything has a symbolism: the colour must express the inner luminosity, a light that does not come from the physical world. In them there is no usual space either, just as there are no conventional events. The icon is a window onto a world of a spiritual nature.