Russian Icon on panel depicting Saint Seraphim of Sarov, Early 20th century

one of the most beloved and venerated mystics and ascetics of modern Russia. The Saint is portrayed half-length, oriented three-quarters to the left in an attitude of profound and submissive prayer. The facial features are rendered with extreme pictorial fineness: the physiognomy is characterized by a short, thick hoary beard, white hair, and a mild, deeply benevolent gaze, intended to convey his well-known spiritual welcoming and inner peace. The Saint wears typical and sober Russian monastic garments: a dark tunic covered by the priestly stole (epitrachelion) and the hermit's habit. His right hand is delicately placed on his chest, at the level of the heart, a gesture typical of hesychasm and the unceasing prayer of the heart, while his left hand holds a traditional monastic rosary (lestovka), a symbol of constant spiritual ascesis in the wilderness of Sarov. The background and the circular halo are entirely embellished with a luminous application of gold leaf, which isolates the sacred figure in a dimension of timeless glory. Along the upper margin or on the sides of the nimbus, there is the identifying calligraphic inscription in Cyrillic Church Slavonic characters. From a historical-chronological point of view, this iconography strictly dates from the very early years of the 20th century. Saint Seraphim was indeed officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1903, under the reign of the last Tsar Nicholas II; the event triggered a vast wave of popular devotion and the consequent production of sacred images intended both for church iconostases and for the beautiful corner (krasnyj ugol) of private homes.