Antimension

The object is a rectangular sheet of light-colored fabric with a visibly worn edge (longitudinal light-green-tinted streaks). On the front is a printed engraving in black ink. The composition is surrounded by a lavish rocaille cartouche frame with asymmetrical acanthus scrollwork, vases, a rooster, and the instruments of Christ's Passion. In the central cartouche is a multi-figure scene of the "Entombment/Lamentation": the haloed body of Christ, in a loincloth, lies on a stone sarcophagus, surrounded by the Mother of God, the Myrrh-Bearing Women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, a young apostle, and two angels on either side; at the foot of the tomb are depicted the crown of thorns and a vessel for myrrh. Above, amid clouds, is a triangle with the "All-Seeing Eye" in radiance. In the lower corners of the composition are the seated figures of the four Evangelists with their symbols; between them, at the center, is a depiction of a chalice.

The composition is accompanied by printed Church Slavonic texts. In the upper cartouche one reads: "This Antimension. This is the sacred table for the offering of the bloodless sacrifice in the Divine Liturgy, sanctified by the Grace of the Most Holy Spirit; for this reason authority is granted to perform the sacred rites upon it in the church..." Below this text is a handwritten inscription in ink: "...of the Wonderworker Dimitrii, Metropolitan of Rostov." In the lower cartouche is a printed text: "By command of the Most Pious, Most Autocratic Great Sovereign, Our Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, of All Russia, and by the blessing of the Most Holy Governing Synod, consecrated by His Grace..." — with handwritten insertions in black ink: "Dimitrii, Archbishop of Novgorod," followed by "in the God-saved city of...St. Petersburg," "In the year" "1751," "of the month" "of September, the 8th day."

The object entered the museum's holdings in 1956.

Note: an antimension is a consecrated liturgical cloth depicting the Entombment of Christ. It is placed on the altar table and is required for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox tradition.

Antimensia were made by printing (an engraving on fabric) sacred images and specific texts; on the reverse was sewn a tiny pouch containing a particle of a saint's relics, mixed with a compound of wax, incense, and other fragrances. The finished cloth was signed by hand on the front and finally consecrated by a bishop, who indicated the church, the date, and his own name. The antimension then became the authorization to celebrate the Liturgy.