Pectoral icon depicting the Mother of Consolation - 18th century

Height × Width: 7 × 5 cm Weight: 42.4 g.
Bronze casting
According to tradition, the origin of the cult is traced back to the miraculous rescue from a shipwreck of the son of Theodosius I, Arcadius, attributed to the intervention of the Virgin Mary. At the site where Arcadius was found, on the beach of Vatopedi near Mount Athos, Patriarch Nectarius of Constantinople erected a sanctuary and placed there the icon of Otrada, on whose model copies were later painted and sent to Russia. These objects, often made of bronze and sometimes enriched with colored enamels, were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability allowed them to be easily carried and, when necessary, concealed, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, following the schism known as the Raskol, endured periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.



Item condition grading: **** good.
The icon is in a good state of preservation with the normal wear and defects commensurate with its age and use over time.