Russian Silver Icon

A bishop and a nun stand in open country while the Virgin appears on a cloud above.

This icon of saints with the Madonna and Child comes from Russia and dates to the 19th century. It is painted wood with a silver underlay. Icons pairing chosen saints were often kept in Russian homes, sometimes honoring the name saints of a family's members. Gold inscriptions identify St. Nicholas, in red and white vestments holding a jeweled book, and St. Anna, dark robed with a scroll. Above them, the crowned Virgin and Child sit in a burst of light. It is 10.5 inches wide and 12.25 high.

Two saints on the ground, and help arriving from above.