Antique Russian icon Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, 19th century, 35x30 cm
Antique Russian icon depicting the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, originating from Moscow, Russia, and datable to the 19th century. The panel measures 35.3 x 30.5 cm and is executed in egg tempera on wood prepared with levkas. At the center of the composition the Virgin Mary presents the Christ Child to Simeon, while the temple appears in the background. Saint Joseph and the prophetess Anna complete the scene, accompanying the moment of encounter and underlining its liturgical and spiritua...
Info and features
Antique Russian icon depicting the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, originating from Moscow, Russia, and datable to the 19th century. The panel measures 35.3 x 30.5 cm and is executed in egg tempera on wood prepared with levkas. At the center of the composition the Virgin Mary presents the Christ Child to Simeon, while the temple appears in the background. Saint Joseph and the prophetess Anna complete the scene, accompanying the moment of encounter and underlining its liturgical and spiritual significance. In the Byzantine tradition this feast is called the Hypapantē (the "Encounter"): the episode represents the meeting of Christ with a people awaiting salvation, the junction between Old and New Testaments and, more profoundly, the encounter between humanity and God. The relationship between Jesus and Simeon is conveyed through the intensity of their gazes, while Mary's gesture of entrusting the Child to the saint evokes the theme of offering and consecration. The Virgin thus also functions symbolically as the living temple that received Christ and now presents him to the world. The ciborium and the altar in the composition allude to the sacred place of the meeting and to the eucharistic dimension of the scene, while the temple veil emphasizes the transition from promise to fulfillment. The Presentation at the Temple is celebrated forty days after the Nativity and is among the principal feasts of the Eastern Christian calendar, closely associated with the themes of light, revelation and the reception of the Messiah. The religious icon is delivered with an expert's appraisal and a velvet presentation case, which complete its documentation and display.
Provenance: Moscow, Russia. Period: 19th century. Technique: egg tempera on wood prepared with levkas. Materials: wood and levkas. Dimensions: 35.3 x 30.5 cm. Subject: Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Accompaniment: expert's appraisal and velvet presentation case.