56 - Four-part icon - 19th century

Four-part icon - 19th century Egg tempera on panel Height x width: 45.5 x 39 cm It is designed to combine four major solemnities of the Orthodox liturgical cycle into a single portable object. The pictorial space is geometrically divided into four symmetrical quadrants by a slender Greek cross outlined in gold. The upper-left quadrant depicts Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, showing the Savior seated on a white colt advancing toward the city gates, preceded and followed by a crowd of disciples and followers who spread their cloaks as He passes beneath a stylized palm tree. The upper-right panel illustrates the Ascension of Our Lord; the composition is arranged in two registers: in the lower one, the Virgin Mary stands in prayer, flanked by angels and the Apostles, while in the upper register, Christ ascends in glory within a circular mandorla supported by flying angels. The lower-left section depicts a Synaxis—or Christ Teaching in the Temple—centered on the figure of the Savior, who is symmetrically surrounded by a dense array of Church Fathers and the faithful arranged in receding rows. Finally, the lower-right quadrant depicts the Raising of Lazarus; here, Christ, followed by the Apostles, extends a blessing hand toward the rock-hewn tomb from which Lazarus emerges, wrapped in pristine burial cloths, while his sisters Martha and Mary prostrate themselves at His feet in gratitude. Stylistically, the scenes reveal an interesting transition in which strict adherence to Byzantine iconographic canons—evident in the landscape’s jagged, splintered rocks and the use of inverted perspective—coexists with a softer, Western sensibility in the three-dimensional rendering of drapery and the miniaturized depiction of faces. The color palette relies on warm, saturated tones—dominated by cinnabar red, umbers, and dark greens—that stand out boldly against the gold background. H.E. Most Rev. Francisco-Javier Lozano Sebastián, Titular Archbishop of Penafiel and Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus. Item condition rating: **** good. The lot is in good condition, with normal wear and defects commensurate with its age and use over time. Vertical cracks.