158

Pectoral icon depicting Saints Boris and Gleb, 19th century

Bronze casting

Altezza x larghezza: 14 x 9 cm Peso: 159.5 gr.

Among the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus’ and venerated as martyrs of the faith and protectors of the Russian land, they were brothers, sons of Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev (who converted the Rus’ to Christianity) and Anna Porphyrogenita. After their father’s death in 1015 AD, they were murdered by their elder half-brother Sviatopolk the Accursed, who sought to eliminate rivals for the throne of Kiev. Despite being military commanders usually depicted on horseback, they chose not to take up arms, accepting death in imitation of Christ’s sacrifice. They therefore belong to a typically Russian category of saints, the *strastoterptsy* (“passion-sufferers”). They are not martyrs in the classical sense (killed out of hatred for the faith), but Christian witnesses who accept an unjust death with humility and a spirit of non-violence. Above the two saints, within a medallion (clipeus), appears the depiction of the Old Testament Trinity, blessing their sacrifice. At the top of the work, on the movable tab that protects the suspension hole, is engraved the Mandylion of Edessa, the acheiropoietic face of Christ, which seals the entire plaque as a sign of authenticity and divine protection. Furthermore, this icon belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, produced in series from the 17th century onwards and characterized by strict adherence to the canons of the Byzantine tradition. These artifacts, often made of bronze and sometimes enriched with colored enamels, were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability made them easy to carry and, when necessary, to conceal, responding to the religious needs of a community that, after the schism known as the Raskol, suffered periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.

Provenance:
Carlo Teardo Antiquario in Milano