Travel icon depicting an expanded Deesis, Early 20th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height x width: 13 x 10.5 cm Weight: 417.3 g.

At the center enthroned is Christ Pantocrator, seated on a royal throne, holding the open Gospel and raising His hand in a gesture of blessing. At His sides, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist are depicted standing, slightly inclined toward Him in an attitude of prayer on behalf of humanity. The procession of intercession is completed by other figures of Saints.This icon belongs to the group of icons of the Old Believers, mass-produced from the 17th century onward and characterized by strict adherence to the canons of Byzantine tradition.These objects, 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, if necessary, to conceal, thus 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.