Large Russian Icon depicting the Mother of God Feodorovskaya, XIX century

Tempera on panel

Height x width x depth: 60 x 54.5 x 3 cm

The work reproduces the celebrated and highly venerated iconography of the Mother of God Feodorovskaya (or Our Lady of Saint Theodore), historically considered the true spiritual protector and palladium of the Romanov imperial dynasty. From a compositional perspective, the icon belongs to the dogmatic type of the Eleousa (“Tenderness”), in which the Virgin is depicted in half-length form, holding the Christ Child close to her, their cheeks touching in a gesture of intimate affection. The distinctive feature that differentiates this specific model from the more common Vladimir variant lies in the posture of the Divine Child: His left leg is partially uncovered and exposed, bent outward, a significant medieval theological detail that prefigures Christ’s future nakedness during His Passion and agony on the Cross. The Virgin wears a sumptuous dark purple maphorion enriched with geometric gilded highlights and embroidered stars symbolizing her perpetual virginity, while her left hand is raised in a delicate gesture of intercession. The collector’s value of the piece is enhanced by the presence of an extensive historical and liturgical text in finely illuminated Old Church Slavonic along the entire lower border (kovčeg). This long inscription recounts the legend of the miraculous discovery of the original icon, which according to chronicles took place in 1239 by Prince Vasily of Kostroma, found atop a pine tree after the prototype had survived the destruction of the city of Gorodets by the Mongol hordes of Batu Khan. The solemn features of the faces (liki), characterized by warm amber tones and deep shading, combined with the calligraphic precision of the inscriptions, suggest a high-level commission by a wealthy devotee or by a community of Old Believers.