Saint Pantaleon - Russian icon, late 19th century, with silver and enamel riza.

This elegant Saint Pantaleon icon is a refined example of Russian religious art from the late 19th century, created in Moscow between 1899 and 1908, with egg tempera on panel and a sumptuous chased silver riza with cloisonné enamels. It measures 22 x 18 cm. Saint Pantaleon, a young physician and Christian martyr who lived in the 4th century, is depicted according to Orthodox iconographic tradition: frontally, with his gaze directed towards the viewer, and his hands holding a small martyr's cross and making a gesture of blessing. The delicate face and graceful features evoke purity, compassion, and inner strength. The silver riza is particularly precious, worked with extreme fineness in floral motifs and embellished with polychrome enamels around the halo, typical of late 19th-century Moscow goldsmithing. On the sides of the icon are four small figures of saints, rendered with miniature precision, which testify to the artist's deep spirituality and attention to detail. The official hallmarks visible on the frame confirm the dating between 1899 and 1908 and the origin of the Moscow manufacture. Saint Pantaleon is one of the most venerated healing saints in the Orthodox world, invoked for physical and spiritual health. His cult is deeply rooted in Byzantine and Russian tradition, and his image was often kept in the homes of the faithful as protection against illness.