Name/Title
Petcherskaya Mother of God with Saints Anthony and Theodosy, TheEntry/Object ID
2005.02.011Description
Iconographic painting done on enamel ceramic tile (finift) with (brass?) metal border. The front of the icon shows the Mother of God seated on a green and gold throne clothed in pink maphorion veil, pink robes, and a gold miter crown holding a small Christ child who wears green and white. Seated at the Mother of God's feat are two male figures, both with long white beards. One has a black maphorion veil and blue stole and the other has an uncovered head with green robe and pink stole. The throne is flanked by two angels identically clad in pink capes, white tunics, and blue robes. Both have thin halos, white wings, and shoulder length hair. The angels carry circles bearing the Greek IC XC symbols of Christ, and a different caption sits above the Mother of God's head. On the reverse side of the icon is a black Cyrillic Russian caption on solid white enamel.Type of Painting
PanelCollection
Betsy Scheuring Icon CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2005.02Source or Donor
Betsy ScheuringAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Betsy ScheuringMade/Created
Date made
1800 - 1950Time Period
19th Century, 20th CenturyPlace
* Untyped Place
Rostov, RussiaInscription/Signature/Marks
Type
InscriptionLocation
Back of iconTranscription
Оброезл, (П?)(Л?)р: Т: (П?)елерскія, (П?)(Л?)р:Анмонія, ч? u?, ѲеоdосіяLanguage
Cyrillic alphabet, RussianTranslation
Title of the piece and names of saintsLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
IconNomenclature Primary Object Term
Symbol, ReligiousNomenclature Sub-Class
Religious ObjectsNomenclature Class
Ceremonial ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsDimensions
Height
2-1/2 inWidth
2-1/4 inExhibition
Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)Interpretative Labels
Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
This is a miniature version of a famous icon type, the Petcherskaya Mother of God “Not Made by Hands”. The prototype of this icon miraculously appeared in 1085 in the Great Dormition Church of the Monastery of the Caves (Petcherskaya Lavra). As in that first version, the crowned Madonna here is shown seated on a throne with the Christ child in her lap; two angels support the throne and carry orbs signifying Christ’s dominion over the world. Kneeling at their feet are Saints Antony and Theodosy, the latter of whom gestures toward the Christ child, recommending him to the viewer. St. Antony was an 11th- century ascetic who lived in a cave on Mt. Athos and who became famous for his wisdom and piety. Others joined him, and he later founded many monasteries in Kievan Rus. St. Theodosy was one of Antony’s first followers, who set up rules for the monastic communities based on the code of the Studion Monastery in Constantinople. All property was to be owned in common and all of the monks had to work all of the time. One tenth of the monastery’s income was to go the poor and the sick. The Kiev-Pechora Monastery founded by these two saints was important in the development of the Russian church, producing many ecclesiastical leaders and bishops (see 2005.02.013 for a similar frame and style of enamel painting).