Russian - Saints Florus and Laurus - Walters 372747
The saints Florus and Laurus, twin stonemasons born in Constantinople, were martyred in Ilyria in the second century, reportedly for consecrating as a Christian church a pagan temple that they had been contract... More
Russian - Dormition (Death) of the Virgin - Walters 372390
The Virgin lies on her funereal bier, with the disciples gathered around her. John, to whom Christ specially entrusted his mother (John 19:27-28), leans close by her head, with Christ standing behind him holdin... More
Russian - Seven Days of the Week - Walters 37580
This icon represents the seven sacred events associated with the days of the week: the Resurrection (Sunday); the assembly of the archangels (Monday); the beheading of John the Baptist (Tuesday); the Annunciati... More
Russian - Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple and the Virgin of t...
This rare double-sided icon was most likely commissioned by Tsar Boris Godunov (r. 1598-1605) as a gift for a church in Jerusalem, where it was kept until the mid-20th century. It would have been displayed for ... More
Russian - Icon of Saint Nicholas - Walters 44648
St. Nicholas, the 4th-century bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey), was one of the most venerated saints in Russia. Considered almost a "national" saint, he was second only to the Mother of God as a protector... More
Russian - Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple and the Virgin of t...
This rare double-sided icon was most likely commissioned by Tsar Boris Godunov (r. 1598-1605) as a gift for a church in Jerusalem, where it was kept until the mid-20th century. It would have been displayed for ... More
Russian - Saints Zosimus and Sabbatius - Walters 371186
In 1436, the two monks (later saints) Zosimus and Sabbatius founded the monastery of Solovki on an island in the White Sea, Northern Russia. This posthumous portrait shows them presenting to the Virgin and Chil... More
Russian - Great Deesis with Prophets - Walters 37625
These panels reproduce the upper two tiers of the screen (known as the iconostasis) that separates the nave from the altar in Orthodox churches. Such sets, of which this is one of the earliest known, were used ... More
Russian - Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple - Walters 372410
This scene is rarely met with as a separate icon, although it occurs as one of the subjects on smaller ones. The subject is one of the church's Twelve Festivals, which were represented on the third tier of the ... More
Russian - Christ Emmanuel - Walters 57713
The traditional style of the painting in this icon of Christ Emmanuel contrasts with the Baroque ornament of its cover, in which the young Christ's nimbus and the surrounding four evangelists are depicted in ch... More
Russian - Hospitality of Abraham - Walters 371185
This majestic painting was created for a large iconostasis, a screen separating the altar sanctuary from the nave in Orthodox churches. Here, Abraham and Sarah sacrifice a calf to honor their guests, who reveal... More
Russian - Prophet Elijah's Fiery Ascension - Walters 372748
This icon depicts scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah, an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At the lower left is an illustration of 1 Kings 19:4-8, in which Elijah, discouraged by a d... More
Russian - Christ Pantokrator - Walters 371183
Such large, powerful portraits of Christ "Pantokrator" (almighty) were customarily displayed on the iconostasis, or icon screen, separating the lay people in the nave from the altar area of the church. The use... More
Russian - Crucifixion - Walters 37309
This delicately painted icon shows Christ's Crucifixion before the walls of Jerusalem. A detail rarely included in Crucifixion scenes is the resurrection of the dead, portrayed here as tightly wrapped corpses,... More
Russian - Triptych Icon of Christ, Saint Nicholas, and Saint Blaise - ...
Fitted with two rings for suspension, a hook, and a hasp, this small icon can be closed and hung round one's neck as a token of piety and divine protection. Open, it can be used as a prayer image. Christ and tw... More
Russian - The Resurrection of Christ and Twelve Church Feasts - Walter...
In the central panel of the icon are two images of the Resurrection. The lower one is the traditional Resurrection composition of the Eastern Church, that of Christ Descending into Hell. Christ, standing on the... More
Russian - Christ Pantokrator - Walters 371065B
Christ, seen in the pose of the Just Judge, holds a Gospel book open to John 7:24: "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." Above and below are bright red seraphim, while at the sides are ... More
Russian - Icon of the Descent into Hell - Walters 371074
The composition of this icon is known as Anastasis, or the Harrowing of Hell, and it is the traditional iconographic representation of the Resurrection. Christ, standing on Hell's broken gates, pulls Adam and E... More
Russian - Virgin of the Burning Bush - Walters 372478A
This is a late example, very conservative in painting style, of a type of image that was first developed in Russia in the late 16th century. It is primarily based on the Old Testament story in which God reveale... More
Russian - St Demetrius of Salonica - Walters 372389
Demetrius, a favorite "warrior saint" of both the eastern and western worlds and a fourth-century martyr under the emperor Maximian, is shown here killing the gladiator Lyaeos, who reportedly killed many Christ... More