Antique Russian Icon 'Praise of the Prophets', mid-19th century, 44x37 cm
Antique Russian icon 'Praise of the Prophets', mid-19th century, 44.5 x 37 cm. The 'Praise' icon of the Mother of God depicts the Virgin surrounded by the prophets of the Old Testament, each presenting on a scroll the content of his prophecy. This iconographic type, attested from the 12th century at Mount Sinai, expresses an ancient tradition linking the biblical prophecies to the mystery of the Incarnation. At the center the Virgin is shown enthroned within a mandorla (almond-shaped aureole), w...
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Antique Russian icon 'Praise of the Prophets', mid-19th century, 44.5 x 37 cm. The 'Praise' icon of the Mother of God depicts the Virgin surrounded by the prophets of the Old Testament, each presenting on a scroll the content of his prophecy. This iconographic type, attested from the 12th century at Mount Sinai, expresses an ancient tradition linking the biblical prophecies to the mystery of the Incarnation. At the center the Virgin is shown enthroned within a mandorla (almond-shaped aureole), while above her appears Emmanuel, creating a vertical axis that joins heaven and earth. Around her, the prophets, including Moses, Isaiah, David, Solomon and Daniel hold the symbols of their visions, such as the ladder, the burning bush, the ark or the gate, all symbolic references to the Mother of God. This complex theological representation reveals the fulfillment of divine promises: what the prophets announced finds its fullness in the Virgin, making the icon a visual synthesis of salvation history and an invitation to contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation.
Technique: egg tempera on wood prepared with levkas.
Origin: Central Russia.
Materials: wood, levkas.
Dimensions: 44.5 x 37 cm.
Period: mid-19th century.