Imagini multicompoziţionale din colecţia Muzeului Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei: Icoana vieţii
Multi-part icons in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova. Visual hagiography

Summary/Abstract: In the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova there are several icons that differ in their iconographic composition. On one icon panel there are several separate images at once, representing well-known icons or images of saints, or scenes with several characters. The number of separate images also determines the designation of these iconographic monuments as multi-part or multi-composition icons. In this article we will try to outline in general terms this category of icons, classify it and give a brief description of each group; a more detailed description will be made in other structural studies. We will pay special attention to visual hagiography, examining in detail the images, lives and feats of the saints, as well as the factors that determined the appearance and development of this iconographic genre. As a result of studying the compositions of these cult objects, several categories are distinguished, such as icons of the feasts, Menaion icons, also called “Menaion feast icons”, multipart icons and portable iconostases. A separate category is made up of hagiographic icons, in the middle of which a saint is depicted, framed by compositions with scenes from his life reminiscent of his feats and miracles. The collection of the museum contains three hagiographic icons with the images of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, Saint Rev. Seraphim of Sarov and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. The variety of the mentioned icons from the museum collection indicates the presence of different styles and schools of painting; these are the icons of local workshops, as well as of the Vladimir region, Vetka and southern Russia. Due to the deep meaning of the images and the artistic features, these works represent a valuable, but for the most part unknown heritage, the publication of which will open to researchers access to unique data. Their inclusion into the scientific use will significantly replenish information on the national heritage, in particular, on multi-part icons.

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