Our Lady of the Don, made in a monastery on Mount Athos Greece in the late 1800s. This piece was bought by the National Museum in Warschau (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) in the 20th century. The icon was once examined by the museum, temporarily listed, or registered, with the handwritten inventory mark often placed by museum curators.
This is icon has been used for a longer period of time as an altar piece, therefore the size is bigger and the corners have rounded over time, you hold onto the corners when presenting the artwork during church service.
The original 12th century artwork by an unknown Russian artist is a significant piece of art in Russian history and is currently displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Virgin of Vladimir, a revered Byzantine icon of the Mother of God with the Christ Child.
This piece is a replica of the 14th century artwork ''Our Lady of the Don'', which was a Greek replica of the ''Virgin of Vladimir'' around 200 years later.
The process is prayerful and slow, involving sketching the image, preparing the pigments, and applying the paint with a focus on specific artistic and theological conventions, which can take months or even a year to complete. Icons are painted vertical on wooden panels on an easel, typically made from light, non-resinous woods like linden or poplar.
Egg tempera method; the paints are made by mixing natural pigments (often in powder form) with a binder of egg yolk and a liquid such as white wine or vinegar.
The wood is dried for years, cut to have a vertical grain, and prepared with gesso to prevent the paint from being absorbed too quickly. The background is often covered with gold leaf, applied meticulously.
- Origin: Mount Athos, Greece
- Materials: Linden or popular wood, gold leaf
- Condition: Perfect antique condition
- Era: Late 1800s
Measurements: 50,5 x 37,5cm / 19,9" x 14,8"
