ROSYJSKA IKONA METALOWA XVIII i XIX WIEKU

Recently, a large number of works of art and historical relics are smuggled via Poland to Western Europe. A great part is composed of Russian Orthodox sacral objects, including icons painted on wood and metal icons. Although, as a rule, the latter do not represent a high artistic level, they are a valuable source of information about the culture and history of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. Their origin dates back to the distant history of the Eastern rite. Small metal icons and crosses were used in Russia during the tenth century, when they were introduced from Byzantium together with Christianity. The tradition of producing such icons was preserved in Novgorod and Pskov as late as the seventeenth century. The cast iron icon owes its popularity and growth to the Old Believers, a group which left the Orthodox Church. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the Old Believers dominated the production of icons and crosses cast from copper alloys. The number of the produced metal icons was immense, since they fulfilled the requirement for a cheap, inexpensive and durable personal icon, which could accompany the faithful in their daily life. The iconography and number of particular depictions reflect the relations observed on wooden icons. The majority of the metal objects survived up to our times in a satisfactory condition and, with the exception of cleaning and surface protection, do not demand special conservation.