Асаблівасці iканаграфіі aбразоў Нараджэнне Багародзіцы XV–XVIII cтст. на Заходнім Палессі

This article examines the artifacts of icon painting on the theme Birth of the Virgin, which come from the original historical and ethnographic region of Belarus – Western Palesse. A number of historical factors have influenced the fact that not only has developed its own distinctive tradition, but also that it is here that the iconographic heritage is best preserved in comparison with other regions. During the work, a unique artifact of the 15th century was studied, which is valuable not only as an example of the iconography of the Nativity of the Virgin, but in general as a rare artifact of that time. A study of a group of icons from the Malaryta district allowed to clarify the dating of these artifacts, and to determine their belonging to an earlier heritage than previously thought. It was noticed that in the area under consideration a rather static “linear” scheme persisted almost until the end of the 17th century, and in the next century there were well-developed genre scenes with interesting angles of characters and unexpected artistic techniques. At the same time, ethnography is flourishing. A total of 11 icons of the 15th–18th centuries were discovered and studied, which at first glance seems to be a small number, but given the significant loss of the icon-painting heritage of Belarus, this is a rather significant local group.