19th Century Bronze Christ Pantocrator Russian Icon. 

Size: 9 x 7 1/4 in. 

An icon, from the Ancient Greek eikṓn, meaning “image/resemblance,” is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels. Icons are most commonly painted on wood panels with egg tempera, but they may also be cast in metal, carved in stone, embroidered on cloth, done in mosaic or fresco work, or printed on paper or metal. Modern academic art historians have been able to trace the tradition back only as far as the 3rd Century, and have found that images which survive from Early Christian art often differ greatly from later ones. Widespread destruction of images occurred during the Byzantine Iconoclasm of 726 to 842. Since then, icons have had a much greater continuity of style and subject, and most surviving pieces are housed in numerous churches spread across the globe. A riza, sometimes called a “revetment,” is the metal cover protecting an icon. It is usually made of gilt or silvered metal with repoussé work and is pierced to expose elements of the underlying painting. It is sometimes enameled, filigreed, or set with artificial, semi-precious or even precious stones and pearls. Because candles and lampadas (oil lamps) are burned in front of icons, and incense is used during services, icons can become darkened over time, which the riza helps protect against. When an icon is set in a book (often as a triptych with two painted opening panels revealing the main icon) the riza becomes pivotal, as exposure to the elements is even more damaging than the more climate-controlled atmosphere of a church. 

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