Pectoral icon depicting the Mandylion of Edessa, 19th century

Bronze casting

Height × Width: 6 × 5.5 cm Weight: 56.2 g.

That is, the acheiropoietos image of Christ’s face, miraculously imprinted on a cloth according to Eastern Christian tradition. The face of the Savior is depicted frontally, with an intense and solemn gaze, framed by flowing hair and a parted beard, in accordance with the canons of the earliest Byzantine iconography. The fabric is rendered as suspended or held at the sides, alluding to its miraculous nature and its status as not painted by human hands.This object also belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, mass-produced from the 17th century onward. These artifacts were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability made them easy to carry and, if necessary, to conceal, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, after the schism known as the Raskol, experienced periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.