LARGE RUSSIAN ICON SHOWING THE MOTIF 'CONOSOLATION WORRIES AND NEEDS'
around 1900
44.5 x 37 cm
This icon copies a Greek triptych that was venerated in the St. Andrew’s Skite on Mount Athos in the 19th c. and was located in the St. Andrew’s Monastery in St. Petersburg from 1890. After 1929 the whereabouts of the triptych are unknown. Since many healings were associated with the triptych in Russia, it can occasionally be found as a separate motif on icons.
In the middle you can see the Mother of God Hodegetria with the Infant Jesus. At her side are St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist. On the left is St. Spyridon, on the right is St. Nicholas. Below, St. George and St. Demetrios are shown left and right. The saints between the two equestrian saints are: St. Anthony the Great, St. Euthymius the Great, St. Onuphrius the Great and St. Sava.