142 - Triptych of the Deesis - 19th century

Triptych of the Deesis - 19th century Champlevé Height x width: 14 x 37.5 cm This portable triptych consists of three hinged, folding panels. The artifact represents a superb example of devotional metal micro-casting, closely connected to the patronage and specialized workshops of the Old Believers (*Staroobrjadcy*) communities. Artifacts of this typology responded to the precise spiritual and practical needs of a population often forced into clandestinity or frequent displacement due to the Tsarist persecutions following the Schism (*Raskol*) of the 17th century; the choice of bronze or brass guaranteed the formal incorruptibility of the sacred images, protecting them from wear and fire. The work is characterized by a very fine lost-wax execution with surface gilding, enhanced on the background by a dense and geometric openwork vegetative decorative motif, animated by the application of polychrome enamels in shades of white and blue. The iconographic layout develops the theological theme of the *Deesis* (Intercession) across the front of the three panels, the deepest doctrinal core of Orthodox liturgy. In the central panel, the hieratic figure of Christ Pantocrator (Lord of Creation) dominates, portrayed in a rigidly frontal and solemn pose while making the gesture of blessing with His right hand and holding the open book of the Gospels with His left, upon which the abbreviations of the sacred texts in Old Church Slavonic are engraved. The two lateral panels move symmetrically in function of the median fulcrum, hosting the supreme figures of Christian supplication directed to the Divine Judge for the salvation of humanity: the left panel hosts the bust of the Mother of God (*Theotokos*), caught in a delicate attitude of prayer while holding an open scroll bearing texts of intercession between her hands, while the right panel welcomes the figure of Saint John the Baptist (the Forerunner), faithfully mirrored in a reverential bow. The external part of the travel triptych, visible when the side panels are folded over the central panel, presents a monumental and elaborate relief representation of the Cross of Golgotha. At the center of the composition stands the typical eight-armed Orthodox cross enclosed within a large circular frame. The canonical symbols of the four Evangelists are skillfully inserted in the spandrels contained between the central circumference and the perimeter square frame. The scene is enriched by the traditional instruments of the Passion (the lance and the sponge), against a stylized architectural background that evokes the walls of the city of Jerusalem. At the base of the cross, inside a cavity symbolizing the mountain cave, the skull of Adam is visible, bathed in the redeeming blood of Christ. The structure is enhanced by the polychrome enamel background, where typical glass inserts in shades of white and deep blue stand out, imparting chromatic dynamism and brilliance. H.E. Most Rev. Francisco-Javier Lozano Sebastián, Titular Archbishop of Penafiel and Apostolic Nuncio Emeritus. Item condition grading: **** good.The lot is in a good state of preservation with the normal wear and defects commensurate with its age and use over time.