Large travel icon depicting the Allegory of the Trinity, 19th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × Width: 21 × 16.5 cm Weight: 1181 g.

Despite its considerable weight, this icon fully belongs to the context of the Old Believers, the community that in the 17th century rejected the reforms of the Tsar and Patriarch Nikon. Forced into a condition of constant exile and flight, these believers favored metal icons precisely for their exceptional durability: although heavy, they were the only ones capable of withstanding precarious transport and even burial without damage. The solidity of bronze ensured that the sacred object remained intact, functioning as a stable altar wherever the faithful found refuge. The work is characterized by a polychrome enamel ground upon which stands out the Old Testament Trinity, the way in which the Eastern tradition represents the Trinitarian mystery without contravening the prohibition against depicting God the Father, considered invisible. It is based on the biblical episode of the Hospitality of Abraham (Genesis 18), in which the patriarch receives three mysterious visitors by the oak of Mamre. The scene is framed by a dense vine scroll that encloses numerous clipei: in the uppermost position is depicted the Deesis, with Christ flanked by the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist, while the medallions below host a series of saints forming a protective celestial hierarchy.