19th century Russian icon. "The Dormition of the Virgin". Egg tempera on wood. In good condition

19th century Russian icon.
"The Dormition of the Virgin".
Egg tempera on wood.
In good condition, except for slight cracks due to age.
Measurements: 31 x 26,5 x 2,3 cm.
The Russian icon of the 19th century presents the Virgin Mary's falling asleep and her assumption to heaven by Jesus Christ. The Virgin, who has fallen asleep, is surrounded by the suffering apostles and the sanctified bishops. Bright tones prevail in the icon. Jesus Christ stands above the Virgin and holds in his hands a child in a snow-white robe. This child represents the immaculate soul of the Virgin Mary, who ended her earthly life without any illness or pain. That is why this final moment is called the "dormition" or "transit" of the Virgin Mary. And so, from the 6th century onwards, the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary began to be celebrated in the East: a way of expressing that it was a transit more akin to sleep than death. She left this earth - as some saints affirm - in a transport of love.