19th century Russian icon

Russian icon of the XIX century.
"St. Matthew" and "St. Mark".
Oil on wood.
In need of restoration. Presents lack of paint.
Measurements: 25 cm. diameter; 37 cm.(frame).

Legends in Cyrillic identify this pair of evangelists, who show their respective sheets of the Scriptures handwritten by them. They are characterized with bushy white beards framing faces of expressive look. The precision of the drawing harmonizes with the chromatic richness, in which blues, reds and golds predominate.
The orthodox icons respond to a tradition that is foreign to painting of a representative nature. In the icons everything has a symbolism: the color must express the interior luminosity, a light that does not come from the physical world. In them there is no usual space, just as there are no conventional events. The icon is an open window to a world of a spiritual nature.