RUSSIAN TETRAPTYCH ICON WITH TWENTY PANELS OF THE GREAT FEASTS AND IMAGES OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
Russia, probably the workshops of Old Believers
First half of the 19th century

Cast copper and bronze, patinated, gilded and polychromed in blue champlevé enamel

7" H x 4 1/4" W

A Russian folding tetraptych icon with four hinged leaves, each surmounted by an ogee arch and divided into small relief panels. The scenes are cast in raised gilt relief against blue grounds, with Church Slavonic inscriptions naming the sacred subjects. The exterior is also decorated with a single panel of relief acting as the cover for the work, allowing the object to function both as a closed devotional icon and, when opened, as a compact sacred cycle for prayer.

The icon presents a densely detailed twenty panel remembrance drawn from the Orthodox liturgical and devotional tradition. The imagery includes scenes from the life of Christ, the life of the Mother of God, the Passion and Resurrection cycle and venerated images of the Theotokos. The arched upper registers contain larger compositions, while the lower sections are divided into smaller narrative panels. The format reflects the portable devotional use of cast metal icons, especially within Russian Old Believer communities, where bronze and enamel folding icons remained an important tradition into the nineteenth century.

The blue and gold surface treatment emphasizes the separation between ground and figure, giving the relief scenes a clear legibility despite their infinitesimal scale. The inscriptions are integral to the object, serving not only as labels but as part of the devotional structure of the icon.

Nearly identical Russian cast metal polyptychs are preserved in museum collections, with two important examples housed in the permanent collections of the (1) Walters Art Museum in Baltimore and the (2) State Historical Museum of Moscow. The Kirillo-Belozersky Museum in Kirillov, Russia features several identical panels (3) executed in copper from the 17th century. The Princeton University Art Museum holds an example (4) from the 18th century with a glassy blue enamel ground.

We have seen numerous examples of this over the years, but the quality of the present example is simply breathtaking with remarkably advanced metalwork and bright-engraving throughout. 

References:

1. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Polyptych of the Feasts, Russian Old Believer workshop, nineteenth century, copper alloy and champlevé enamel, inv. 54.2618.
2. State Historical Museum, Moscow, Four Part Folding Icon, The Twelve Great Feasts and the Worship of Icons of the Theotokos. Link.
3. Kirillo-Belozersky Museum, Kirillov, Russia, object numbers М-172, M-991, M-171
4. The Princeton University Museum of Art, acc. no. y1956-110

Condition: Fine original condition. Wear to the patina throughout, rubbing through gilding. Discoloration to the enamel in a few areas.

ref. 606YPE25P