MONUMENTAL UKRANIAN / RUSSIAN RELIGIOUS ICON OF ANGELS VISITING ABRAHAM,19th century or earlier. Depicts the "Hospitality of Abraham" (also known as "Rublev's Trinity"). Andrei Rublev was a famous Russian icon painter in the 15th century. The Trinity depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-8). On the table, there is a cup containing the head of a calf. In the background, Rublev painted a house (supposedly Abraham's house) and a tree (the Oak of Mamre). Included in the composition is also Sarah (who was a biblical matriarch and prophetess). The figures of angels are arranged so that the lines of their bodies form a full circle. The middle angel and the one on the left bless the cup with a hand gesture. Lastly, the three angels who visited Abraham represented the Christian Trinity, "one God in three persons" - the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. - 37 x 33 in. Estimate $1,500-2,500
