Russia, Imperial. An Icon Of The Mother Of God, Joy Of All Who Sorrow

A well-preserved icon of the Mother of God, Joy of All Who Sorrow. Constructed of a gessoed wooden base inset with dual reverse slats to mitigate warping, the obverse depicts a hand-painted, finely-detailed image of the crowned Theotokos clutching the infant Christ. Both wear red cloaks with blue undergarments signifying their divinity and humanity, respectively. Their heads are surrounded by gilded halos, while the Theotokos is flanked by Greek characters “MP ƟY” (“Mother of God”) and Christ is flanked by “IC XC” (“ΙΗϹΟΥϹ ΧΡΙϹΤΟϹ” or “JESUS CHRIST”). The pair are set below a depiction of God the Father, in turn flanked by the icon’s title in Slavonic. Christ and the Theotokos are in turn surrounded by an array of figures, including the Archangels Michael and Gabriel on the left and right, respectively, watching over several identifiable saints and penitents pleading the holy pair for mercy. The former include St. Nicholas, St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, St. Paraskeva, with an additional depiction of St. Xenia of Rome set into the right side of the border. The reverse is riveted with a modern magnetic metal suspension loop. Unmarked, the icon measures 26 cm (w) x 31.5 cm (h). The image demonstrates minor, age-appropriate hairline cracks to the paint, and moderate scratching is visible to the wood, but this high-quality icon remains in an overall extremely fine condition.

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