The word icon is of Greek origin and means: image, likeness.
Primarily, portable images of the saints of the Eastern churches, the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches, the Virgin Mary and Christ were depicted. These liturgical images were seen as material imbued with divine grace. Emphasizing this, different, very valuable materials are used as a carrier surface, such as ivory, metal, enamel, mosaic, and later on, in order to make it available as widely as possible, it was also painted on furniture boards and wooden boards. In everyday life, we can mostly meet this form. These images are usually consecrated. They play an important role in the spirituality of the churches, and their goal is to raise awareness of the reverence for God and his saints, strengthening the relationship between the icon and the person praying before it, which, figuratively speaking, connects God and the believer as a kind of bridge. It may also be interesting to note that the churches do not consider these holy images to be either decorations or works of art. You can see a wide selection of icons from the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th century in person in our store, or you can buy them conveniently and safely from our online store in just a few minutes!
Oil painting on wooden panel depicting a holy image, Archangel Gabriel with a gilded background. Dimensions: 24 x 23 cm. Unmarked. Russia, early 20th century.
Representation of the Suffering Mother of God with saints painted in oil on a wooden panel. Dimensions: 31 x 26.5 cm. Russia, first half of the 20th century.
Oil-painted depiction of Our Lady on a copper plate nailed to a wooden plate. 17 x 15 x 1 cm. Europe, second half of XIXth century. On its surface there are several larger layers of cracked paint-varnish.
Hand-painted icon with a depiction of St. John the Baptist in oil on a wooden panel. Dimensions: 22 x 18 cm. In some places, the painting is worn. Russia, end of the 19th century.
Oil on wooden panel, hand-painted icon of Feodorovskaya Mother of God with baby Jesus in her arms. Dimensions: 30 x 23 cm. Russia, end of the 19th century. It is damaged in several places, the paintwork is worn.
Painted on a wooden panel, gilded icon with the scene of Christ's entry into Jerusalem, with a holy icon on each side of the frame. With Cyrillic inscriptions. Oil, wooden panel, 31 x 25 cm. Late 20th century, Russia. Unmarked.
A hand-painted icon representation of the Mother of God of Iver on a wooden board, decorated with an engraved brass oklad. Dimensions: 26.5 x 22 cm. End of the 19th century, Russia.