Large Russian Anastasis Icon with Twelve Feasts
18th century A.D. A tempera on wood Anastasis icon with a large central panel surrounded by twelve smaller scenes representing the twelve feasts of the Orthodox church; the central image depicting Christ‘s descent into Hell and Resurrection, the smaller scenes depicting, clockwise from top left: the birth of the Virgin Mary; the presentation of the Virgin Mary to the temple; the Annunciation; the Nativity; the presentation of Christ to the temple; the Epifania (Baptism); the entrance to Jerusalem; the Metamorphosis (Transfiguration); the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; the Ascension; the Holy Trinity (the Pentecost); and the Dormition of the Virgin; inscriptions to the outer border; some restoration. Cf. Milani, C.G., Padricelli, M.S., Barakat, F., Russian Icons, London, 2021, pp.18-19, for similar. 3.1 kg, 44.5 x 37 cm (17 1/2 x 14 5/8 in.). Property of a London lady, part of her family's collection. The Greek term Dodekaorton (???????????) designates the twelve most important holidays of the Orthodox Christian liturgical year. They are divided into fixed date holidays and variable date holidays (calculated in relation to Easter). A second division is between the feasts dedicated to Mary and those dedicated to Christ. Each holiday is represented by an image (icon) encoded according to the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. On the day of the celebration, the corresponding icon is placed on a lectern in the center of the church.