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Icon of the Protection of the Mother of God
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
This icon, cast in relief and filled with enamel, depicts Saint Andrew the Fool's vision of the Virgin spreading her veil in protection over the worshippers in the Constantinopolitan cathedral Hagia Sophia, an event which later gave rise to the Russian feast of the Protecting Veil of the Virgin (cf. Walters 37.1182). The scene is identified by an inscription in the horizontal frame over the image. Above is a depiction of the Holy Trinity within a wreath surrounded by angels and the symbols of the four Evangelists. Along the upper border is inscribed a phrase from the Nicene Creed: "He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father."
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1996-1997 | Russian Enamels. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Russia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 6 11/16 x W: 3 3/4 in. (17 x 9.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
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.
44.372