157 - Travel triptych depicting the Mother of Consolation - 19th century

Travel triptych depicting the Mother of Consolation - 19th century Bronze casting Height × width: 11 × 15 cm; Weight: 155 g. The artifact is a portable triptych with three opening panels made of cast bronze, typical of the metalwork produced by the Russian Old Believers. The central panel depicts the Mother of God of Consolation, a devotion whose origin, according to tradition, dates back to the miraculous rescue of Arcadius—son of Theodosius I—from a shipwreck, attributed to the intervention of the Virgin Mary. At the site where Arcadius was found—on the beach of Vatopedi near Mount Athos—Patriarch Nectarius erected a sanctuary and placed the icon of the Otrada, which served as the model for copies later sent to Russia. In the upper part of this central scene, God the Father emerges from the clouds, surmounted by a host of cherubim. In the side panels, the iconographic program unfolds through four of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year: the Entry into Jerusalem and the Presentation in the Temple, followed by the Paschal scenes of the Anastasis (the Descent into Hell) and the Ascension. The cycle concludes in the pediments of the side wings, where the mystery of the Annunciation is depicted, strictly divided between the figures of the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin. Such artifacts were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability allowed them to be easily transported and, if necessary, hidden, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, following the schism known as the Raskol, endured periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church. Item condition rating: **** good. The lot is in good condition, with normal wear and defects commensurate with its age and use over time.