Bidspirit auction | Travel icon depicting the Pietà,

Travel icon depicting the Pietà, 19th century - Bronze casting with polychrome enamels Height × Width: 11 × 9.6 cm Weight: 206.7 g. This icon belongs to the group of Russian Old Believer icons, produced in series from the 17th century onward and characterized by a strict adherence to the canons of the Byzantine tradition. These artifacts, often made of bronze and sometimes enriched with colored enamels, were generally small in size and intended for private devotion. Their portability made them easy to carry and, if necessary, to conceal, thus meeting the religious needs of a community that, following the schism known as the Raskol, experienced periods of persecution by the official Russian Orthodox Church.