A Monumental Icon of the Anastasis, 17th century

the Resurrected Christ appearing to the left surrounded by a green mandorla crushing the gates of Hades and raising Adam from the grave followed by Eve and the prophets, beneath a large black hole where angels are beating devils and the crowned King Solomon and St John the Forerunner are welcoming the Saviour who is approaching Hades making a sign of blessing and accompanied by angels, in the lower right corner the myrrhbearing women visiting Christ's tomb where Roman soldiers are sleeping while an angel sitting on the rock that has been roled away explains that Christ has risen from the grave, above this scene Christ speaking to the Good Thief, in the upper right corner the Good Thief entering the garden of Paradise standing in front of a red cherub guarding the entrance, the walled Paradise with Enoch and Elijah who according to tradition did not die but ascend to heaven while still alive in the company of the Good Thief, on the right the prophets St John the Forerunner and King Solomon welcomed by the Good Thief to Paradise

Ancienne collection Mikhaïloff, Collection Otto-O'Méara, Vente Galerie Georges Giroux, Bruxelles, Octobre 1928, Lot 361

Salon d'art russe, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles, 1928

Preserved in very good condition, covered with darkened varnish, some damage along the edges of the icon
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The icon has been finely painted in bright colours with predominating ochre tones. Elaborate texts on the border in old church Slavonic written in white paint explain the different scenes. A dedication text, partly obliterated, is written in black along the lower border. The iconography of the icon is typical for Anastasis icons of the 17th century where the focus shifts from the central scene of Christ Crushing the Gates to a more narrative composition representing details of the story of the Resurrection of Christ. The icon in all probablity comes from the iconostasis of a church.