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A powerful early 19th-century Russian icon depicting Christ Pantocrator – “Lord Almighty”, one of the most important and enduring images in Russian Christian iconography. Christ is represented frontally with a solemn expression, raising His right hand in blessing while holding the open Gospel in His left, symbolizing His divine authority, wisdom, and role as teacher and judge. Hand-painted in traditional egg tempera on levkas on an original wooden panel, the icon is distinguished by its strongly traditional Russian character. The elongated facial features, large expressive eyes, linear treatment of the hair and beard, restrained ochre and brown palette, cruciform halo, and surviving Cyrillic inscriptions reflect the character of Russian icon painting around the turn of the 19th century. The icon retains its authentic historical character, displaying a deeply aged surface, extensive craquelure, darkening, and centuries-old patina. The reverse preserves traditional Russian construction with two substantial transverse wooden battens, while the naturally aged timber, structural movement, old tool marks, and wear further reflect its long devotional history. Condition: Antique condition considering its age, with significant age-related wear, craquelure, abrasions, darkening, scattered paint and ground losses, and deterioration to portions of the background and borders. The wooden panel shows structural cracking and movement consistent with its considerable age. Evidence of historical conservation and localized retouching may be present. Despite its extensive wear, the central image of Christ remains remarkably expressive and retains its powerful devotional presence.
