Icon; 18th century.

Icon; 18th century.
“Group of Saints.”
Paint and gilding on wood panel.
Measurements: 54 x 43.5 x 3.5 cm.
Organized in successive registers, the composition brings together numerous figures of saints and various scenes, accompanied by Cyrillic inscriptions that identify and explain each depiction. The surface of the panel thus becomes a true religious narrative unfolding before the viewer’s eyes, in which image and word complement one another.
The work as a whole reflects the didactic and devotional approach characteristic of the Orthodox iconographic tradition, in which the image not only represents but also makes present and conveys the memory of the sacred. From a formal standpoint, the work retains characteristic features of 18th-century Russian art: stylized figures with pronounced frontal orientation, gilded backgrounds, a restrained color palette, and a rigorous division of the scenes into compartments. The use of gold, in addition to lending luminosity to the composition, symbolically alludes to divine light and the celestial realm.
Particularly evocative is its almost encyclopedic structure. In contrast to icons centered on a single figure or episode, this panel offers the viewer a journey through a succession of images, saints, and events that are interpreted sequentially. This approach was particularly developed in the Russian tradition, where certain icons brought together on a single surface multiple sacred and miraculous episodes linked to the protection and intercession of the saints against illness, danger, and the adversities of daily life. The abundance of scenes thus transforms the piece not only into an object of devotion but also into a visual testament to the popular Orthodox piety of its time.