Ancient Russian icon Dormition of Mary 19th century, 35x30 cm
Ancient Russian icon "Dormition of the Mother of God", 19th century, 35x30 cm. The religious icon depicts the moment of the Virgin's passage from earthly life to heavenly glory. According to Christian tradition, Mary was assumed into heaven in body and soul and received beside her Son and God the Father, a mystery defined in the Catholic Church as the Dogma of the Assumption. The absence of a certain burial place for the Virgin has long been interpreted as a sign of her immediate glorification. ...
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Ancient Russian icon "Dormition of the Mother of God", 19th century, 35x30 cm. The religious icon depicts the moment of the Virgin's passage from earthly life to heavenly glory. According to Christian tradition, Mary was assumed into heaven in body and soul and received beside her Son and God the Father, a mystery defined in the Catholic Church as the Dogma of the Assumption. The absence of a certain burial place for the Virgin has long been interpreted as a sign of her immediate glorification. In Byzantine iconography the scene shows Mary laid on her funeral bed, surrounded by the Apostles, while Christ holds her soul in his arms, represented as a small child swaddled in white, symbolizing the new birth into eternal life. Angels accompany the Mother of God into glory. This representation carries a profound theological meaning: victory over death and the promise of eternal life, made visible in the figure of the Virgin. The work is executed in the traditional technique of egg tempera on a wood panel prepared with levkas, an ancient method that gives each icon its unique spiritual value.
Provenance: Central Russia.
Technique: Egg tempera on wood prepared with levkas.
Materials: wood, levkas.
Dimensions: 35x30 cm.
Period: 19th century.