A trove of Russian icons in central Mass.

Globe arts writer Mark Feeney visits the Museum of Russian Icons, in the central Massachusetts town of Clinton. An excerpt from his report:

The museum has more than 350 icons, dating from the 15th century to the present. Painted in egg tempera on wood or cloth mounted on wood, these icons are religious works that portray Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or saints. They range in size from miniatures, 1 by 2 inches, to much larger works, 36 by 48 inches. Gold leaf is often employed for halos and backgrounds.

The Globe's travel section also visited the museum, in February, and produced this report. An excerpt:

Like most good art, the icons reveal a little slice of life. The museum groups a collection of Pokrov icons, which depict Jesus' mother, Mary, in her role of sheltering mankind with her veil. These images often hung in Russian homes as a talisman against fire, earthquakes, plagues, and other threats. Other icons tell of daily activities. A circa 1600 icon captures the way of life at the Solovetsky Monastery, isolated on an island in the White Sea, near the Arctic Circle. In the shadow of the tall stone church, the monks fish, farm, and conduct their business in the salt trade as Christ and the saints look down from the heavens. Artists were forbidden to paint icons during the communist years, but the art form has rebounded since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

(Photo, by Wendy Maeda of Globe staff, shows an icon of John the Baptist, circa 1450, from the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton.)