Small travel icon depicting the allegory of the Trinity, 19th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × Width: 6 × 5.5 cm Weight: 65.2 g.

In the scene of the Hospitality of Abraham. The narrative originally represents the visit of the angels to Abraham but is reinterpreted symbolically as a Old Testament representation of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The most famous example is Andrei Rublev’s Trinity, created around 1422 and preserved at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. This icon belongs to the group of Russian Old Believers’ icons, produced in series from the 17th century. These works were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability allowed them to be easily carried and, if necessary, hidden, meeting the religious needs of a community that, after the schism known as the Raskol, endured periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.