This rare icon was destined to private worship.

The Christ Pantocrator icon, when depicting Christ with an open book, is a variation known as “Christ the Teacher”. We read in Slavic Russian a verse from the Bible where Jesus declares John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.
Different features make very likely of this icon an Old Believer icon. Old Believers cross themselves with two fingers as a symbol of their ancient faith, representing the two natures of Christ—divine and human. This practice is a key point of contention with the modern Russian Orthodox Church, which uses a three-fingered sign representing the Holy Trinity. Furthermore, in this icon the blessing hand emerges from within the himation, which is rare. The gesture is restrained, inward, almost secretive. There is an axial imbalance: book side vs hand side. The angular drapery is strongly characteristic of Old Believer workshops.

Overall condition: The golden leaf is nearly erased. The icon has several small manqué, white spots, on the hair and himation.