Deesis

The Greek term Deesis means a supplicatory intercessory prayer to God. The imagery of this theme developed under the influence of early Christian liturgical texts. These include the thanksgiving eucharist prayer and supplication prayers, in which the Church resorts to the intercession of the Mother of God, John the Baptist, angels, apostles, martyrs, and saints. Iconography of Deisis is known from 6th or 7th century. It developed in several variants and spread throughout Eastern Christianity after the iconoclasm period, when the suppression of icon worship in Byzantium ceased. In its basic variant, the centrally placed figure of Christ is accompanied by the Mother of God to the right and John the Baptist to the left, the greatest intercessors of mankind, as in the exhibited icon. Similar images were popularised in the Russian Empire by Old Believers who did not accept the liturgical reform of Moscow Patriarch Nikon in mid-17th century. It is a cast brass tripartite folding icon (triptych, folding) with an image of Deesis in the basic variant. The outside of the left wing features (visible on the face of the closed fold) the Cross of Golgotha with the instruments of Christ's passion, shown against the background of Jerusalem which completes the iconographic programme of the representation.

Teresa Bagińska-Żurawska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-3967