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This beautiful icon came from Armenia, considered to be the oldest Christian nation - declaring their national religion as Christianity in 301 AD.
There are lots of great religious antique pieces that come from there! This icon is hand made, from the late 1800's. It has absolutely gorgeous patina (the aged look things get over time). The icon is wood, and the frame appears to be cast iron, and a magnet sticks to the frame. So, it could also be heavy tin. It has a loop on the back, also metal but definitely is tin, so it can hang from the wall. The piece is hand painted, and was covered in what appears to be "glassine". Glassine is a type of translucent paper that is still used today, as it has waterproof and greaseproof properties. It probably was added to the piece as it was made, and then the icon was framed under glass, later. Most of the antique icons that I have seen are painted on wood, as is this one.
I have included lots of photos of the back and sides, so you can see the frame and how the piece was assembled.
It would be impossible to remove the piece from the frame - it is really framed tightly and nailed into place. All the nails but one are original, and have darkened along with the frame. One little nail appears new, and was hammered in carelessly at an angle. Fortunately, it didn't damage the wood icon in any way. The frame appears to be 1800's and made from cast iron, ALTHOUGH it could be a heavy tin. The icon is at least from the late 1800s, if not older. It looks like the piece was painted, and then at a later date (around 1885), to protect it, framed under glass.
The stamped metal covering the icon appears to be silver, not tin. The glass has protected the piece quite well. The metal has tarnished, and really has the look of a thin sheet of silver. It is probably not 925, but an alloy that contains silver, for it's properties. Silver is soft and malleable, so it is great for this type of work. Of course, so is tin, but I don't believe tin would have tarnished the way this did. I could, however, be wrong! I am not wrong that it is a beautiful antique piece, though.
I don't know who this painting is of, but he resembles icons of Jesus that I have seen that are from Armenia. This piece is a great size, measuring 7 1/2" x 6".
It is really lovely, and won't disappoint.
From the internet, regarding Icons in the Armenian Christian faith:
" An icon is a painting or a picture that represents Jesus, St. Mary, saints, or any biblical scene. It can be painted or illustrated by any artist, and blessed or anointed by a special ceremony. They stand at the church not to decorate the walls, but to support the believers with a spiritual message or reminding them about a biblical scene or saint’s life. Sometimes, they stand in the church as frescos, or relief sculptures."
Icons are still being made in Armenia today, but this one is definitely old and antique.
