A EUCHARISTIC CROWD

This icon type may not at first look familiar:

The title inscription at the top tells us what it is:

ОБРАЗЪ ИЖЕ ХЕРУВИМИ
OBRAZ IZHE KHERUVIMI
“IMAGE OF ‘WHO CHERUBIM'”

Well, way back in 2017 I did a posting here on icons of this type.
https://russianicons.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/two-eucharistic-icon-types/

One can easily tell when looking at that posting and then looking at today’s icon, that icons of the Izhe Kheruvimi (Izhe Kheruvimui) type are variable; they do not all have precisely the same form, though generally a number of common elements are included.

The title, of course, comes from the “Cherubic Hymn,” a standard part of the regular Russian Orthodox liturgy:

Иже херувимы тайно образующе,
и Животворящей Троицѣ трисвятую пѣснь припѣвающе,
Всякое нынѣ житейское отложимъ попеченіе.
Яко да Царя всѣхъ подъимемъ,
ангельскими невидимо дориносима чинми.
Аллилуіа

“[We] who cherubim mystically represent
And to the Life-bearing Trinity the “Thrice Holy” hymn sing,
All cares of life let us now put aside
So we may receive the Tsar of all,
By invisible ranks of angels escorted.
Alleluia.”

By now, if you are a long-time reader here, you will likely recognize the painting style as that of the “priested” Old Believers — particularly those in the community of Vyetka. Keep in mind that usually, the larger the number of figures painted on an icon, the higher the selling price was.