The Dormition

Feast August 15 (August 28 on the old calendar) / Jerusalem (by tradition)

In the Dormition we carry, the apostles and angels gathered at Mary's bier are painted melanated.

Our piece is the full icon, gold and crowded. Mary lies on her bier in dark robes. Christ stands behind her in a frame of light, holding her soul as a small child wrapped in white. The apostles press in on both sides, haloed, their faces deep brown, and more of them arrive on clouds from every corner of the sky. At the foot of the bier, an angel with a sword stands over a man in red: by church tradition, the man who tried to overturn it. The Orthodox Church keeps this feast every August 15. Painter, date and origin unknown.