Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. late 19th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera and gold leaf on gesso atop wood, an icon portraying Saints Anthony and Theodosius standing next to one another in front of a landscape backdrop. Both men are robed in dark vestments and lengthy omophorions hang from their shoulders; Anthony wears a large hood with a three-bar cross in the center. Each figure is holding a scroll with legible Cyrillic script on it, and each has a thin coronal halo surrounding their heads with their respective names along interior of the upper rim. Gorgeous borders of Russian strapwork and faux-enamel designs grace the peripheries in hues of blue, white, red, orange, and pale green, imbuing this icon with a characteristic opulent appearance indicative of the Russian Orthodoxy. Size: 5.5" W x 6.9" H (14 cm x 17.5 cm).

As master and pupil, Anthony and Theodosius are best known as the founders of Ukranian and Russian monastic rule. Anthony was the founder of the Pecherska Lavra Monastery in Kiev around 1051, though chose to live a life of seclusion shortly thereafter in caves not too far away around 1057; before moving, he named Barlaam as first abbot. Theodosius, Barlaam’s successor, was named abbot around 1062. Once the cave monastery became overcrowded, with worshippers numbering over 100, Theodosius resolved to construct a grand edifice worthy of worship by thousands. Supported generously by aristocrats in Kiev, Theodosius erected what is still today one of the most grandiose and venerated sites in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Shortly before his death, Theodosius decreed that his mentor, Anthony, would be the first individual buried near the monastery. Their combined day of feasting rests on September 2nd, and is considered a day of celebration for and reflection on the lives of these two venerated figures.

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."

Exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) and the North Carolina Museum of History (October 4, 2013 through March 5, 2014) which presented highlights of one of the world's great artistic traditions through an extraordinary group of sixty-five 18th and 19th century Russian icons on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek. Published in the catalogue accompanying the North Carolina Museum of History exhibition by curator Jeanne Marie Warzeski (p. 19).

The “Windows Into Heaven” exhibition profiled a magnificent chapter of Russian artistry, the embrace of the Russian Orthodox faith of religious icons during the Romanov centuries. The Russian religious faith was an offshoot of Byzantine Christianity, which in 1054 parted ways from Roman Catholicism. Icons were and continue to be religious images created for veneration. As a focus for prayers and meditation for believers, icons serve as “windows into heaven.”



Provenance: ex-Francis & Lilly Robicsek collection, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, part of the Museum Exhibition, Windows into Heaven - Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art, North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina. Published in the catalogue accompanying the North Carolina Museum of History exhibition (p. 19).

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#119458

Age-commensurate surface wear, with small chips to peripheries, interior paint, and faux enamel designs. Minor staining and discoloration throughout the obverse side. Nice areas of craquelure. Verso displays three old inventory stickers, two small loop screws with suspension wire, and "4p25" written in pencil.