0806a St John the Forerunner

Russian.
19th cent. 36x32x3 cms

St John the Baptist is here shown as a desert mystic clad only in camel skins. He holds a staff in his right hand. In his left is an open scroll with its message of the need to repent because of the near coming of The Messiah.

Written in an un-schooled provincial hand, this double sided icon [see St Basil 0806b] would have been used processionally on the six Feast Days of John the Baptist and the two of St Basil.

Since purchase, from a British collector, the icon has been cleaned and small amounts of paint loss restored.  The original frame has been left in its original condition.