Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 18th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso and linen atop wood, an icon displaying the Virgin Hodegetria (or "She who shows the way"), the composition depicting the Mother of God holding the Christ child in one arm. On her shoulder and head, Mary wears a multi-pronged cross set within a disc, which is an ancient symbol of her virginity. The monogram for "Mother of God" hovers on either side of Mary's head, and the monogram IC XC (Jesus Christ) is situated to the right of Christ's head. Size: 10.5" W x 12.125" H (26.7 cm x 30.8 cm).

Note that in this composition, the artist only depicted Mary's head and shoulders, in concordance with tradition. This invites and prompts the viewer to gaze upon Christ with the subtle inclination of Mary's visage, particularly given those expressive eyes. The Christ Child is characteristically depicted in a rigid, vertical pose - wearing regal vestments. A lovely example inspired by the icon of the Hodegetria that arrived in Constantinople from Jerusalem, where it was found in the 5th century by the sister-in-law of Emperor Theodosius II. According to Alfredo Tradigo's "Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church" (2004), "Hidden from the Iconoclasts in a wall at the Hodegon Monastery, it was later carried to the city walls when Constantinople lay under siege and became, under the Palaiologan dynasty (1261-1453), a major palladium protecting the capital. Copies made their way to Rome, the Near East, the Balkans, and Russia." (Tradigo, Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church, p. 169)

Icons were some of the first religious artworks brought to Russia from Byzantium. These sacred pictures reached a high point in the Byzantine era, however, the Russians brought their own style to the art of the icon. Icons were initially created for use in churches and processions. In time they became smaller and were used increasingly within households. To this day, icons remain an important form of visual culture in Russia's orthodox religious community. Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. 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 Ventura, California, USA collection, acquired before 1990

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#122792

Surface wear and losses commensurate with age, small areas of discoloration, and chips along the peripheries. Nice areas of craquelure to painted areas. Verso displays several lines of illegible Cyrillic text, and the back slats are missing.