Icon depicting Saint John the Baptist, 19th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × width: 17.5 × 15 cm Weight: 488.5 g.

depicted in a position that suggests it may have originally been part of a triptych. The orientation of the figure, turned inward rather than directly facing the viewer, indicates that it was likely intended as a side panel, flanking a more important central scene. The gaze and posture, directed toward the center of the composition, are typical of ancillary figures in devotional ensembles, where saints are depicted in an attitude of contemplation or as witnesses to the principal mystery. This object belongs to the group of Russian Old Believers’ icons, mass-produced from the 17th century onward and characterized by a strict adherence to the canons of the Byzantine tradition. Such artifacts, often made of bronze and sometimes enriched with colored enamels, were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability allowed them to be easily carried and, if necessary, concealed, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, following the schism known as the Raskol, experienced periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.