The Prophets Foretold Thy Coming

The unusual composition of this icon renders Christian theology in paint. At the center of the image is the Christ Child who extends both hands in blessing. He is enthroned on the lap of his mother, Mary, who in turn is seated on the lap of her own mother, Saint Anna. A thick vine sprouts just below Anna’s feet. Ten Old Testament prophets, understood to foretell the coming of the Messiah born of a Virgin from the line of King David, are perched on the spiraling tendrils of the vine. Each prophet is accompanied by an attribute of their prophecy which in turn is embossed with a small round icon of the Mother of God and Christ Child. See, for instance, Moses (top right), who beheld God in the bush that burned without being consumed. Christian commentators understood Moses’ experience to foretell of Mary who gave birth while remaining a virgin and whose womb contained the uncontainable God. The central panel is set beneath a delicately painted image of the Annunciation, as if the scene below blossomed forth from that fateful moment.