Russian Antique September Menologium Icon 18th Century, 52x44 cm

Refined Russian menologium icon depicting saints and major liturgical solemnities of September. Executed in egg tempera on gold background on levkas-prepared wooden panel. Menologium represents the section of the ecclesiastical calendar dedicated to daily commemoration of saints. Since the 9th-10th centuries, these icons visually illustrated the liturgical cycle to the faithful, spreading knowledge of hagiographic lives and promoting saint veneration in various life circumstances. In this work dedicated to September, depictions of saints and significant festivities stand out: in the second register, the Birth of Mary, and in the third register, the Exaltation of the Cross. The individual saint figures, arranged according to the liturgical calendar, follow day by day, offering a precious testimony of popular devotion and Russian iconographic tradition between the 18th and 19th centuries. The richness of gilding and delicacy of painting strokes, typical of the schools of Central Russia, give the icon intense brightness and profound spiritual expressiveness. The orthodox icon is accompanied by an expert appraisal from a registered appraiser. Origin: Central Russia. Technique: egg tempera on gold background. Materials: wood, levkas. Dimensions: 52x43.5 cm. Period: late 18th century