Russian school, first third of the 19th century. "Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple". Oil on panel. Measurements: 52,5 x 71 cm. The icon in question shows us a scene from the life of the Virgin Mary: her presentation in the Temple as a child. The narration is placed in a sober interior dominated by a staircase that plays an important role in the story, and that serves to differentiate the two planes of the composition, at the same time as to order the main figures: on the one hand, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, the Virgin's parents; on the other hand, Mary, who climbs the seven steps, and the priest Zachary. It is a work that belongs to the Russian school both in terms of the hieratic figures and the gilded nimbus, although it has been westernised to a certain extent due to the Italianate interior in which the scene is set. The attention to detail, particularly in the main figures, reveals the painter's technical skill. The greenish tone in which the frame of this icon is painted dates from the 18th century, when this type of polychrome for the backgrounds of icons, or for large fields of colour, became popular in Russia. The entry of the Virgin into the Temple has a strong religious meaning in Orthodox Christianity, and is celebrated on its own day: 21 November in the common calendar or 3 December in the Julian calendar. In the liturgy of this feast, the virginity of the Virgin Mary and her moratorium and exemplary character are extolled.