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Small folding diptych icon with icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "Old Testament Trinity", inv. no. Вст. 47801 М-3203: photo 1 of 5
Photo 1 of 5
Small folding diptych icon with icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "Old Testament Trinity", inv. no. Вст. 47801 М-3203: photo 1 of 5
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Metal · Church plate

Small folding diptych icon with icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "Old Testament Trinity"

Inv. no. Вст. 47801 М-3203 · Metal

Project: Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities

The folding icon is a diptych, made of yellow metal, square in form. At the top center of each leaf is a loop for hanging. The leaves are joined by a hinged mount. Full description

Date
18th century
Material
Metal, enamel
Technique
Casting, engraving, enameling
Dimensions
7.4 × 3.9 × 0.4 cm

Photo: M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum · CC BY 4.0

Description

The folding icon is a diptych, made of yellow metal, square in form. At the top center of each leaf is a loop for hanging. The leaves are joined by a hinged mount. On the inside of the left leaf, within a circle, is the icon "Old Testament Trinity": an image of three angels at a low table with three cups. Above them is the Church Slavonic inscription: "The Holy Trinity." On the inside of the right leaf, within a circle, is the icon of the Mother of God "The Sign": a half-length image of the Mother of God with the Infant; their hands, palms open, are bent at the elbow and raised in a gesture of adoration (prayer). To the left and right of the Virgin Mary's halo are the inscriptions "Jesus Christ" and "Mary." On the outside of the left leaf is an image of an eight-pointed cross. Above the arms of the horizontal crossbar is the inscription "King of Glory"; below them, "NIKA" ("Victory"). On either side of the cross are the instruments of the Passion — a spear and a reed — marked with the letters "K" and "T" ("kopie" and "trost'"). To the left and right of the instruments of the Passion are the letters "IS" and "KHS" ("Jesus Christ"). Between the instruments of the Passion and the cross are the letters "M," "L," "R," and "B" ("The Place of the Skull Has Become Paradise"). Beneath the cross is a symbolic depiction of the skull of Adam and the letters "G" and "G" ("Mount Golgotha"). On the outside of the right leaf is, at the center, a multi-petaled flower, with four-petaled flowers in the corners. The flowers are decorated with yellow, light-blue, and white enamel.

The folding icon was donated to the museum by Oleksandr Mykolaiovych Davydov of Kharkiv in 1982.

Record

Inventory number
Вст. 47801 М-3203
Title
Small folding diptych icon with icons of the Mother of God "The Sign" and "Old Testament Trinity"
Collection group
Metal · Church plate
Date
18th century
Material
Metal, enamel
Technique
Casting, engraving, enameling
Dimensions
7.4 × 3.9 × 0.4 cm
Digitisation
Project “Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities”, 2026
Tradition
Old Believers

Updated 15 Oct 2026

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