Icon "Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos"

Icon of the "Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

Kyivan icon-painting school of the Ukrainian Baroque era (17th century)

with elements of academic renewal from the 19th century.

Linden wood, double kovcheg, opposing recessed splines

Levkas, egg tempera, gold leaf

31.5 x 28 cm

Icon of the "Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary"

Icon of the «Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary»

This icon depicts one of the greatest events in the Christian world — "the beginning of our salvation". The icon's narrative unfolds the moment of mystical dialogue between Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, which became the intersection point of earthly and heavenly.

The iconography of the image is set within the architectural interior of a church, symbolizing the Church as the vessel of Divine Grace.

The Virgin Mary: Depicted on the right in a state of prayerful contemplation. Her gesture symbolizes humble acceptance of God's will ("Behold, the handmaid of the Lord"). The red curtain behind her emphasizes her royal lineage and sacrifice.

Archangel Gabriel: The heavenly messenger swiftly enters the icon's space from the left, frozen in a gesture of blessing. His figure is full of dynamism, contrasting with the calmness of the Theotokos.

God Sabaoth and the Holy Spirit: In the upper part of the icon, in a golden radiance, the heavens open, from which the Lord Sabaoth sends blessings, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descends upon Mary, symbolizing the immaculate conception.

A distinctive feature of this icon is the presence on the left of the figure of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi Pyatnytsya, holding a cross. This indicates that the image combines a general church subject with the personal intercession of the saint. The inscription in the upper part directly refers to a miraculous prototype — an 11th-century fresco in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, which makes this example an important part of Kyiv's spiritual heritage.

The icon is made on a board with a double kovcheg, which is a characteristic sign of the high professional level of the 17th-century master. The pictorial layer has preserved the original graphics and iconographic scheme, and the 19th-century renovations (in particular, the gilding and repainting of the faces) added worldly elegance and academic brilliance to the image. The noble craquelure of the surface confirms the venerable age of the monument.

This icon is a rare example of Ukrainian icon painting with deep historical roots. It has high artistic, historical-cultural, and museum value.