النص الأصلي : (الترجمة الآلية)
Diptych with the Mother of God Enthroned and St Sophia
Russia, Stroganov or Moscow, second quarter 17th century
Gilded silver oklad
26,5 x 15 cm (open)

The left panel of the diptych (skladen) shows a depiction of the Mother of God Enthroned in three-quarter profile. Her maphorion is decorated with a pattern of silver and gold clouds. She holds the Christ Child in her left arm and a ladder of Jacob in her right hand. A bust of Christ ‘King of Kings and Archpriest' is represented before her. To the left and right of the throne, the archangels Michael and Gabriel are standing like guards. The right wing of the diptych shows Saint Sophia the Divine Wisdom. This image illustrates the episode in the bible known as the judgement of Salomon. The fiery red angel in the centre is seated on a throne supported by seven pillars. To the left is the Mother of God with Christ Emmanuel and to the right St John the Forerunner. Above the head of St Sophia, Christ Emmanuel is represented a second time. In the upper part, angels are worshipping the ‘Hetoimasia', or empty throne, that symbolizes God. The gilded silver oklad of this diptych is decorated with engraved floral ornaments and inscriptions.

The representation of the Mother of God Enthroned in three quarter profile is relatively rare in Russian icon painting. The Stroganov painters favoured this composition around 1600. The most famous example is the monumental Mother of God Enthroned from the Annunciation Cathedral in Solvytchegodsk, showing Nikita and Eupraxie Stroganov praying before the Virgin. Small icons for private devotion with the same composition are also known from this period. The elegant style of the painting of our diptych, the refined execution and the attention for detail, clearly show influences from Moscow and Stroganov painting from the early 17th century. The style of the painting in combination with the decorative gilded silver engraved oklad, allows us to date this diptych in the second quarter of the 17th century.