Religious icon, produced in Russia, 1750-1850 (c)

This icon has 12 vignettes painted onto plaster, illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin. These include the Presentation of the Virgin, the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Presentation of Christ at the Temple, the Baptism of Christ, the Transfiguration, Christ's entry into Jerusalem on a donkey and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. They are arranged around a larger central image of Christ's descent into Limbo.

The icon is mounted above an inscription in heavy gilt frame. The inscription relates to the discovery of the icon by Lieutenant-Colonel J N Sargent, 3rd (The East Kent) Regiment of Foot (The Buffs), in 1855 after the Russians had withdrawn from Sevastopol during the Crimean War (1854-1856).