Ancient Russian icon St. Michael the Archangel 31x26 cm 17th-18th century

Ancient Russian icon St. Michael the Archangel 31x26 cm 17th-18th century.Antique Russian icon 31x26 cm belonging to the 17th-18th century, made in Moscow, Russia. It has a wooden base, to which a canvas fixed by levkas, a natural glue, is applied. The canvas is then covered with gold leaf and painted with egg tempera.It is the representation of St. Michael the Archangel, leader of the celestial hosts, depicted on a winged horse while fighting against Satan. The saint is blowing the charge with a trumpet while holding a Gospel in his left hand and holding a spear in his right hand, with which he is slaying Lucifer. Observing the right wrist, one notices a chain to which a censer containing incense is tied.On the back of the St Micheal icon, there is a hook for hanging.St. Michael, the patron saint of Kiev, is often depicted on armor and coats of arms of the Rjurik dynasty and precisely because of his role as leader he was defined by Tsar Ivan the Terrible as ''the best omen of victory over the infidels''.However, its origins are much older. Indeed, in the Old Testament, St. Michael is the protector angel of Israel, called "the most noble prince", who fights for God's people and defends their cause.After the popularization of Christianity, the cult of the saint had a great diffusion in the East, where he is seen as the one who fought and defeated Satan, stripping him of his garment of light. In the Orthodox liturgical calendar, he is commemorated on 6 September and 8 October and is often invoked to ask for protection in wars, to heal the sick, to protect seafarers and traders and to help the souls of the deceased in the afterlife.The Saint Micheal the Archangel icon is accompanied by an expert report, a certificate of originality and an elegant velvet box.