Icon "Resurrection, Descent into Hell", with twelve great feast scenes

At the center of the icon are the compositions "The Resurrection (Descent into Hell)" and "The Ascension of the Lord." In the first, Christ's body is embraced by an almond-shaped mandorla — the divine glory in the form of radiance. Above, beside him, are Saint Martha and the Mother of God; below, in Hell, are Noah, King David, Saint John, and, further, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, Abraham, Adam, Eve, and Abel. At the lower right, Christ leans toward Saint Peter, with Saints John and James nearby. At the lower left is a depiction of Hell — a fiery gehenna shown as a red mass with an eye. In the second composition, Christ is shown above the clouds with two angels. Below the clouds, to the left, are Saints Simon, James, John, Peter, and the Mother of God; to the right, Enoch, Elijah, and the Penitent Thief at the gate of Paradise, where a cherub receives them. At the top of the center field is the Church Slavonic inscription: "The Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

Around the perimeter of the center field are icons of the Twelve Great Feasts (left to right): "The Nativity of the Mother of God," "The Presentation in the Temple," "The Annunciation," "The Nativity of Christ," "The Presentation of the Lord," "The Theophany," "The Entry into Jerusalem," "The Transfiguration," "The Descent of the Holy Spirit," "The Old Testament Trinity," "The Dormition of the Mother of God," and "The Exaltation of the Cross." The compositions follow canonical iconography. Around the icon is a frame, on whose gold background the names of the scenes are written in red paint, in Church Slavonic. Red, blue, green and gold predominate. On the reverse, the icon is reinforced with two horizontal inset battens.

The icon was acquired by the museum in 1972 from [A. A.] Horbachova of Kharkiv.

Legend: icons of this kind (also called "feast icons" or "menaion icons") are used for home prayer. They serve as a visual reminder of the key stages of sacred history, allowing the faithful to turn daily to different events of the Gospel.