This 12x13 spiral-bound book features full-page color plates of 24 Russian Orthodox icons, suitable for framing or mounting (if you can bear to dismantle this lovely and informative book). The text explains each of the icons, and also gives a fascinating history of iconography in the context of the Orthodox Church in 16th Century. The Russian Orthodox Church in the newly formed Russian Empire of the 16th century was in many ways the inheritor of the mantle of Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. The icons presented here reveal the tension between making a religious kingdom on earth and awaiting one in heaven. These spiral-bound books present richly painted and gilded icons from the Russian Orthodox Christian Church in 24 large color plates-most over 12" tall. Rescued from Soviet purges, these artifacts are testaments to a rich religious culture, steeped in the artistic traditions of various Russian peoples. Each icon is explained and placed in a historical perspective.
