Moscow or, less likely, Saint Petersburg, 1761 (dated and monogrammed by the author MB - SRS, followed by, Prosbe = invocation; Goda = year on the right side). Rare icon with embossed bronze Riza depicting the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow". In remarkably good condition considering its age. The painting is practically intact, with only small and limited areas of color loss. The Riza is practically intact, except for several bumps and deformations. Loss of small wooden reinforcement inlays in the board, which is otherwise intact. NEVER RESTORED. Dimensions cm. 30 x 25
A type of Marian image venerated in Russia since the early 18th century is the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow". Around 1760, Peter the Great had an icon with this representation, considered miraculous, brought from Moscow, where a miracle occurred in its presence, to the new capital, St. Petersburg, where it was venerated in the private chapel of the imperial family. He also wanted a copy of the icon to accompany him in the war against the Turks. For these reasons, it is a particularly rare work, sought after and venerated by the Russian people. In this iconographic type, similar to or perhaps interpreted as the Western "Madonna of Mercy," the Virgin spreads her arms over humanity, depicted in groups of needy people who huddle around her. The offended, the naked, and the pilgrims, the hungry, the afflicted are depicted, kneeling as they reach out to the Virgin, and the sick are seated on the ground. The colloquy between the Mother of God and men is represented through the cartouches: each presents his or her request (Pomoc Kromim = aid to the suffering - cartouche on the right) and presents his or her need, invoking the Virgin Mary as relief in tribulation. The presence of the baby Jesus is a further element of diversification of the various variants of this iconography. In Moscow, in fact, the type in which the Virgin is presented with the little Jesus is more successful, while in St. Petersburg the model in which the Madonna is depicted alone was more common. The curiosity of the date. The work is dated and monogrammed by the author (MB and SRS 1761) with Arabic characters. The Cyrillic numerals were a numeric system derived from the Cyrillic alphabet, used by the southern and eastern Slavic peoples. This system was used in Russia until the 18th century, when Peter the Great abolished it, replacing it with the Western numeric system. This detail leads to a "city" setting for the work in question. Finally, it is perhaps possible that this work refers to the suffering derived from the Siege of Kolberg, during the Seven Years' War. A large Russian army under General Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, supported by Russian and Swedish naval forces, blocked Kolberg in August 1761: after unsuccessfully attempting to capture the fortifications, the Russians decided to take the city by starvation, interrupting its lines of communication and subjecting it to repeated bombardments. Kolberg capitulated on December 16, 1761.
A very similar, even dated, work is preserved in the collection of Russian icons of the Pitti Palace Museum in Florence. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to see it.