Eastern Europe, Russia or Greece, ca. 19th century CE. A brass traveling icon that unfolds to reveal a triptych painted over the brass surface. The exterior of the icon has a thick hook for clasping the icon closed; the two sides that unfold are each lightly incised with the Orthodox Cross, also known as the Suppedaneum Cross. Inside, the triptych depicts three crucial scenes from the life of Christ: on the left, his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; on the right, the Adoration of the Magi; and in the center, the Resurrection. The paintings are executed in the Byzantine style, with a flattened perspective; they are brightly colored, with a great deal of gold highlights. The artist has portrayed each of the religious scenes in well-realized backgrounds, with architectural and landscape features that give each panel a dense appearance. Size when fully opened: 8.25" L x 3.45" W x 0.75" H (21 cm x 8.8 cm x 1.9 cm)

In order to support traveling priests on missions, bronze and brass religious objects like this traveling icon were made that were small enough and light enough to be carried on long journeys through a difficult landscape. These icons were widespread in Russia by the 17th century, and are often mentioned in the writings of Pushkin and Chekhov. The three-barred cross is the most symbolic and common shape in the Orthodox Church. The short topmost bar represents the sign reading "This is the King of the Jews" from Luke 23:38 that was nailed to the top of Christ's cross; the short bottom-most bar represents the foot rest on Christ's cross. This is depicted as slanted because it is believed that, in Christ's final moments, he kicked it out of place. The right side points upward to Heaven and the left side points downward to Hell.

Provenance: private Moore collection, Denver, Colorado, USA, acquired thirty years ago

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#122036

Wear to surface of triptych, especially middle panel, but most artwork is well preserved as shown.