Lot number 1845 - Auction 161
IKONE MIT DER HEILIGEN MARIA VON ÄGYPTEN MIT SZENEN IHRES LEBENS IN DER WÜSTE

AN ICON SHOWING SAINT MARY OF EGYPT WITH SCENES FROM HER LIFE IN THE DESERT Russian, 18th century Tempera on wood panel. The silvered background covered by a golden lacquer. Applied metal halo. Partially restored. 34.4 x 28.3 cm. Saint Mary of Egypt (5th/6th century) is one of the most important penitent and ascetic saints of the Orthodox Church. According to tradition, following her conversion in Jerusalem, she withdrew to the desert beyond the Jordan, where she spent 47 years in strict asceticism. There she encountered the Palestinian monk Zosimas, from whom she received Holy Communion shortly before her death.