Russian icon of the 19th century.
"The Virgin and Child Jesus and selected saints".
Tempera on board.
It needs cleaning. It has some losses of the pictorial layer.
Measurements: 32 x 27 cm.
The icon of interest represents a fairly common and popular composition of the Mother of God seated on the throne, with selected saints. It follows the traditional model of triangular hierarchical composition, where the seated Virgin is above, and larger in size, than the rest of the saints. The two saints next to her are represented in two different postures, the saint on the right maintains the gesture of adoration, and the saint on the left raises his right hand in a gesture of blessing. Due to the general deterioration of the piece, the inscriptions, which once rested on the saints' nimbuses, are now practically lost and unrecognizable. As a result, there are certain problems in determining who these venerable monks are. A particular feature, which points to the venerable monks, apart from their clothing, is the Golgotha cross, a typology, which is used exclusively on the clothing of Orthodox monks.
This type of representation of the seated Virgin and Child Jesus is widely known in the Orthodox world under the name "Panachranta", and has similar features with the prototype "Odighitria", when representing the faces of the Virgin and Child embraced, and with the faces side by side. The central image of the auctioned icon presents the iconography typical of Panachranta, with the Virgin Mary seated on the throne, holding the Child Jesus on her knees. The throne symbolizes the majesty and royal power of the Mother of God. This prototype of the Virgin Mary with Child developed in the Byzantine Empire between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and in Russia it has been known since the thirteenth century.
The background of the throne of the Virgin is richly decorated with floral motifs, following the old Russian style. The four eggs on the throne is an interesting symbol, which alludes to the future life of the little baby Jesus, who is awaiting martyrdom and resurrection.
The dark green tone, almost khaki, can help to determine the approximate period of the production of the icon, which would be the 18th century, when this shade of green for the background of the icons began to become popular.