Travel icon depicting the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, Early 20th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × Width: 12.5 × 8 cm Weight: 223.0 g.

The icon visually conveys the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist. The narrative begins on the left side, dominated by an elaborate architectural structure representing the prison: here the Forerunner is captured in a moment of solemn meditation, seated with a book in his hands while awaiting the fulfillment of his destiny. The dynamism of the scene is given by the figure of the jailer, depicted descending the stairs to fetch the prisoner. The dramatic focal point shifts to the right, where the actual beheading takes place. The composition is crowned in the upper register by a double depiction of Christ Pantocrator emerging from the clouds: this theophanic repetition not only emphasizes divine protection over the witness of the Truth, but also highlights the sacrificial nature of the event, connecting the earthly suffering of the martyr to the heavenly glory of the Word. The icon also 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, generally small in size, were 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.