The composition depicting the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on the apocryphal texts of the Gospel of James and the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, as well as on the Life of Mary compiled by the Greek monk Epiphanius at the turn of the 12th century.
In the 17th century, icons often featured consecutive episodes depicting both the main event and other events that preceded and followed it. By the last quarter of the 17th century, when the displayed icon was created, icon painters had come up with a new creative solution. Instead of depicting additional scenes in the border scenes around the centerpiece, they began to introduce such episodes into a complex architectural structure, with events unfolding in each span, arch, or portal.
“The Nativity of Mary with hagiographic scenes” was created by the renowned Armory icon painter Fyodor Zubov in 1688. The centerpiece features the key scene of the Nativity of Mary under a large triumphal arch. On the bottom right, there are two episodes from the story of Joachim and Anne: the time the childless couple’s gifts were rejected, and the time when they brought their newborn daughter to the church for the first time. Above the centerpiece, against the background of a landscape, the earliest events preceding the Nativity of Mary are depicted: Joachim praying in the desert and Anne praying in the garden.
The complex architecture, the play of light and shadow on the pillars, the rhythm of the red curtains, the intricate bas-reliefs, and the variety of surfaces are all evidence of the artist’s remarkable talent. The sophisticated, splendid patterns of fabrics are typical not of the era of the New Testament but rather of the life of aristocrats in the second half of the 17th century. Nevertheless, the artist specifically chose to use such intricate textures to achieve a joyful atmosphere that conveys the significance of the event.
The artist Fyodor Yevtikhiyevich Zubov studied icon
painting at the Stroganov Monastery workshops of Sol Kamskaya (now the town of Solikamsk,
Perm Krai) and later in Veliky Ustyug. In August 1662, Fyodor Zubov moved to Moscow
to complete the commission of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich as indicated in the
painter’s petition to the tsar. He was requested to paint the icons of the patron
saints of the royal family members. In December 1662, Fyodor Zubov became one
of five paid royal icon painters and received both a salary and food. From that
time on, the artist completed commissions as the Armory icon painter which is indicated
in annual accounting documents.
