Travel icon depicting the Protection of the Veil (Pokrov) of the Mother of God, Early 20th century

Bronze casting with polychrome enamels

Height × Width: 17.5 × 10 cm Weight: 306.2 g.

An iconography that traces its origins to 10th-century Constantinople, in the Church of the Blachernae Church, where the precious relic of the Virgin’s mantle was kept. During an invasion (likely by pagan Russians or Saracens), the population gathered in prayer. Saint Andrew the Fool had a vision: he saw the Mother of God enter the church escorted by angels and saints. She knelt in prayer and then, removing her veil (maphorion), spread it over the faithful as a sign of protection. The scene is arranged in two superimposed registers. In the lower register, at the very center, stands Romanos the Melodist. To his right is Saint Andrew the Fool, shown pointing upward to the vision for his disciple Epiphanius. To the left of Romanos appear Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople, followed by Emperor Leo VI the Wise, identifiable by his royal garments and crown. Behind them, in perspective and beneath a small architectural canopy (edicule), stands Empress Zoe Carbonopsina, the fourth wife of Leo VI. In the background, the domes and structures of Blachernae are often visible, while the Virgin, flanked by celestial hosts, dominates the scene. 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. A host of seraphim seals the composition at the top. 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.