Early 19th century
Icon of the Nativity of the Mother of God
Tempera on wood panel, 54 x 45 cm
The icon in question condenses several scenes from the story of the Virgin, whose representation within the compositional space does not, however, follow a precise chronological order or succession. In fact, the focus of the Icon is represented by the group with Saint Anne, Saint Joachim (whose names are inscribed in the golden halo) and the newborn Virgin in swaddling clothes, arranged within a monumental classical building. Below the main scene, the Annunciation to Saint Anne by the Archangel Gabriel and the Nativity of the Virgin are synthesized into a single scene. We see Saint Anne sitting with the Virgin in her arms and in front of them the announcing Angel. Outside the building, which can probably be identified as a temple, the Archangel is depicted again, perhaps while going to make a vow at the temple. Anna and Joachim are also depicted several times: outside the temple at the bottom, gathered in a happy tight embrace following the news of the miraculous pregnancy; but they also appear in the upper part of the panel, one on the left and the other on the right, kneeling to pray to God in a sign of recognition before two blessing angels, who emerge from heavy dark clouds that surround the golden Crescent within which God the Father Blessing is depicted.
At the Uffizi Gallery in Florence there is an icon depicting the Nativity of the Mother of God made in central Russia at the end of the 19th century. Also in the Uffizi icon, God the Father stands out at the top and the various scenes are arranged within a large and articulated building. Relative comparisons can be found in the icon of the same subject at the National Museum of the Certosa di Calci but also in the icons that circulate in the antiquarian market
