Travel icon depicting the Crucifixion, Early 20th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × Width: 10.5 × 9 cm Weight: 281.4 g.

set within a frame. At the center of the composition is the crucified Christ, the focal point of the salvific scene, while the frame develops an expanded Deesis, in which the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist intercede on either side of the divine Judge. At the apex and center of the structure, as a seal of divine presence, is placed the Mandylion, the unpainted image of Christ’s face, a sign of His Incarnation and revelation to the world. This object also belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, produced in series 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, following the schism known as the Raskol, experienced periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.