Russian icon, 19th century

Russian icon, 19th century
"Christ enthroned".
Egg tempera and gold on wood.
It has craquelure and restorations.
Measures: 35.5 x 31 x 2.6 cm.
Russian icon depicting a majestic Christ, wearing a robe decorated with rich brocade. He adopts the gesture of blessing with his right hand and holds the Gospels in his left. Seated on an opulent throne that emulates gold wrought ironwork, he is flanked by two Evangelists, identifiable by the figures of the Tetramorph that accompany them. They also carry their respective scrolls with transcribed passages of their writing. Stylistically, the remarkable refinement achieved by Russian icons can be seen, which in the 19th century continued to respect certain orthodox precepts, but the figures became more stylised and their features softened. Vivid pigments are used for the symbolic use of colour, and a sinuous line with a synthetic outline lengthens the canons.

The figures are stylised and their features softened.