Antique December Menology Icon 52x43 cm 18th century Russia

Antique December Menology Icon 52x43 cm Russia. Beautiful Russian menological icon depicting the saints and main liturgical solemnities of December, executed in egg tempera on gold background on levkas-prepared wooden panel. The menology is a liturgical book that collects prayers, hymns, and texts dedicated to the saints commemorated day by day throughout the year. Icons with this designation represent the saints and feasts remembered in the ecclesiastical calendar, following the liturgical order of the months. The depicted work illustrates the cycle of saints and festivities in December, distributed in five registers of equal height. The figures of the saints are portrayed standing, in natural and dynamic poses, often facing each other, emphasizing a spiritual dialogue and vibrant unity. Among the main scenes, Saint Barbara and Saint John Damascene stand out in the first register, the Nativity of Christ in the fourth register, the Flight into Egypt and the Slaughter of the Innocents in the fifth register. The compositions of the feasts are characterized by their iconographic completeness, developed horizontally as a continuous frieze, following a refined and narrative tradition that gives depth and rhythm to the representation. The intensity of colors, skillful use of gilding, and meticulous detailing reveal the high technical and spiritual level of the late 18th-century Central Russian schools.

The orthodox icon is delivered with an expert appraisal by a registered historian.

Origin: Central Russia

Technique: egg tempera on gold background

Materials: wood, levkas

Dimensions: 52.2x43.5 cm

Era: late 18th century