Russian icon 18th century Pokrov Protection of the Veil of the Mother of God, 53x44 cm
Russian icon 'Pokrov', Protection of the Veil of the Mother of God, 18th century. The Pokrov icon represents the protection of the Mother of God, a much‑loved theme in the Orthodox tradition. It is also linked to St. Roman the Melody, a great Byzantine hymnographer: according to tradition the Virgin appeared to him and granted him the gift of song after making him swallow a sacred scroll. This episode is often depicted in the upper register of the composition. The composition is rich and complex...
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Russian icon 'Pokrov', Protection of the Veil of the Mother of God, 18th century. The Pokrov icon represents the protection of the Mother of God, a much‑loved theme in the Orthodox tradition. It is also linked to St. Roman the Melody, a great Byzantine hymnographer: according to tradition the Virgin appeared to him and granted him the gift of song after making him swallow a sacred scroll. This episode is often depicted in the upper register of the composition. The composition is rich and complex: in the lower register a liturgical celebration unfolds with Roman in deacon's vestments on the ambo, flanked by the imperial court, while in the upper register the Virgin spreads her veil over the faithful in an act of protection. The numerous figures of saints, angels and worshippers create a dense, symbolic visual effect typical of the iconographic elaborations of the 17th–18th centuries. The orthodox icon expresses the theme of divine protection and the intercession of the Mother of God, who watches over the faithful and shelters them beneath her mantle. Executed in the traditional technique of egg tempera on a board prepared with levkas, it testifies to the ancient Russian iconographic practice handed down through the centuries. Origin: Central Russia. Technique: Egg tempera. Materials: wood, levkas. Measurements: 53.6 x 44.1 cm. Period: late 18th century.