A LARGE RUSSIAN ICON THREE-HANDED MOTHER OF GOD 1

A LARGE RUSSIAN ICON THREE-HANDED MOTHER OF GOD 19TH C. Comprising a large and finely painted image of the popular and well-known miracle working icon housed in the Serbian Monestary of Khilandari on Mount Athos. In this icon, the Virgin Mary holds the infant Christ in her right arm and gestures to him with her left hand as Christ delivers a blessing and holds a scroll symbolic of his wisdom. It is said that in the 8th century the noted anti-iconoclast John of Damascus was in the service of the Caliph of that city. The iconoclast Byzantine Emperor Leo attempted to alienate John's employer with forged letters in John's handwriting which urged Leo to attack the Caliph. These forgeries were accepted as authentic by the Caliph who in turn had John's right hand cut off as punishment. As legend has it, John took his severed hand to an icon of the Mother of God and prayed to be healed so that he might continue to write against the iconoclasts. The Mother of God heard his prayer and promised to heal him if he would compose hymns to her and her son Christ, Jesus. In gratitude for his healing, John had a commemorative silver hand affixed to the lower part of the icon. Later icon painters, when copying this image, often misunderstood the added hand and instead made it a third hand of the Mother of God. The left border painted with Saint Ann. 17.75 inches x 15.5 inches (45 x 39 cm).

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