212 - ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “THREE-HANDED” (TRICHEROUSA) WITH SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER AND SAINT GLYCERIA THE MARTYR IN THE MARGINS. MSTERA, RUSSIA, LAST QUARTER OF THE 19TH CENTURY.

ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD “THREE-HANDED” (TRICHEROUSA) WITH SAINT JOSEPH THE HYMNOGRAPHER AND SAINT GLYCERIA THE MARTYR IN THE MARGINS. MSTERA, RUSSIA, LAST QUARTER OF THE 19TH CENTURY. A finely painted icon of the Mother of God “Three-Handed”, executed in Mstera in the last quarter of the 19th century in the tradition of accomplished late Russian icon painting. The Mother of God is depicted half-length, holding the Christ Child on her left arm. Christ turns towards His Mother, raising His right hand in blessing and holding a scroll in His left. The composition is distinguished by the restrained interaction of the figures and the monumental character of the central image. The defining iconographic feature of the “Three-Handed” Mother of God is the depiction of a third hand. In the present icon, it appears in the lower part of the composition beneath the figure of the Christ Child, with the palm turned upwards. This element is harmoniously incorporated into the overall silhouette of the Virgin and constitutes the principal identifying feature of this iconographic type. The Mother of God wears a deep cherry-brown maphorion adorned with three gold stars. The borders of the garments are enriched with delicate gold ornament. The robes of the Christ Child are particularly finely worked with shell gold, applied in numerous slender lines that articulate the folds of the fabric and create the refined decorative rhythm characteristic of Mstera icon painting. The faces are delicately and restrainedly modelled, with smooth transitions of ochre tones and precisely delineated features. The side margins depict selected saints turned in prayer towards the central image. Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, dressed in monastic robes, appears on the left, while Saint Glyceria the Martyr is shown on the right. Both figures are accompanied by identifying inscriptions. Their inclusion within the composition was probably connected with a personal or family commission and with the heavenly patronage invoked by the icon’s original owners. The gold ground, refined facial modelling, restrained palette and combination of yellow and white shell gold lend the work the elegance and decorative unity characteristic of Mstera icon painting of the second half of the 19th century. Material: Wood panel, levkas, tempera, white and yellow shell gold. Dimensions: 36 × 30 cm. Condition: Good condition consistent with age. Natural craquelure, localised rubbing and minor losses to the paint layer and gilding, together with traces of age and use, primarily affecting the ground and edges of the panel. Width: 30cm, Height: 36cm, Depth: 5cm, Weight: 2kg, Condition: Good, Material: Wood, ID: ID-ANTQ-16567