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Dormition (Death) of the Virgin
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
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 holding her soul, represented as a child in swaddling clothes. Two angels wait to receive the soul from Christ's arms. The two houses in the background represent Jerusalem, by tradition the location of the Dormition and also a reminder of the symbolism of Mary as the representation of the Church, the new Temple of Jerusalem. The door painted on the Virgin's bier is an unusual detail of unclear significance.
The icon's style resembles that of the last generation of icon painters of the Moscow Armory, just before the center of state-supported art moved to the new capital of St. Petersburg.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Lilian Halsey Barker (Mrs. Lewellys F. Barker), Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, January 1961, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 9/21/1965 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
Geographies
Russia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
12 7/16 x 15 13/16 in. (31.6 x 40.2 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Lilian Halsey Barker, 1961
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.2390