Antique Russian icon, 19th century, Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, 13.9x12.0 in
Antique Russian icon, 19th century, Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, 13.9x12.0 in.
Antique Russian icon depicting the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, originating from Moscow, Russia, and datable to the 19th century. The work measures 13.9x12.0 in and is executed in egg tempera on wood with levkas.
At the centre of the composition the Virgin Mary presents the Child Jesus to Simeon; in the background the temple is visible. Saint Joseph and the prophetess Anna complete the scene, accompanyin...
Info and features
Antique Russian icon, 19th century, Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, 13.9x12.0 in.
Antique Russian icon depicting the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, originating from Moscow, Russia, and datable to the 19th century. The work measures 13.9x12.0 in and is executed in egg tempera on wood with levkas.
At the centre of the composition the Virgin Mary presents the Child Jesus to Simeon; in the background the temple is visible. Saint Joseph and the prophetess Anna complete the scene, accompanying the moment of encounter and emphasising its liturgical and spiritual significance.
In the Byzantine tradition this feast is called Hypapantì, meaning “Encounter”: the episode represents the meeting of Christ with a people awaiting salvation, the link between the Old and the New Testament and, more profoundly, the meeting between humanity and God.
The relationship between Jesus and Simeon is expressed through the intensity of their gazes, while Mary’s gesture of entrusting the Child to the saint evokes the themes of offering and consecration. The Virgin thus also acquires a symbolic role as the living temple that received Christ and now presents him to the world.
Within the composition, the ciborium and the altar refer to the sacred place of encounter and to the Eucharistic meaning of the scene, while the temple veil underlines the passage from promise to fulfilment.
The Presentation at the Temple is celebrated forty days after Christmas and is one of the principal feasts of the Eastern Christian calendar, linked to the themes of light, revelation and the reception of the Messiah.
The icon is supplied with an expert appraisal and a velvet presentation case, which complete its documentation and presentation.
Provenance: Moscow, Russia.
Period: 19th century.
Technique: egg tempera.
Materials: wood and levkas.
Dimensions: 13.9x12.0 in.
Subject: Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.
Contents: expert appraisal and velvet presentation case.