Icon of the Resurrection and Anastasis Surrounded by Sixteen Festival Scenes
Russian, (Palekh School)), Early Nineteenth Century.

Distemper on wood panel (description taken from Conservation report on Departmental file). The painting is applied on top of gold paint, the mordent for this gold paint is Red-brown.

Purchased, 1864

This icon seems to have been acquired by the museum in 1864, however, the price paid for the panel and the identity of a donor is not indicated in the surviving documentation. The panel appears to date from the early nineteenth century based on both its style and iconography, and is representative of the extremely high standards of religious painting in nineteenth-century Russia. The arrangement of scenes is similar to an icon of similar date but slightly smaller size in the collection of the British Museum (registration number 1926, 1115.1.).

While icons representing the Resurrection and Anastasis in this way are found in Moscow as early as the sixteenth century, the colours and highlighting of the figures, coupled with the bold use of gold, would seem to indicate the place of manufacture of this panel as Palekh in central Russia in the early nineteenth century.

Historical significance: The painting of this panel is of extremely fine quality not only in terms of the brushwork and finish, but also in terms of the very complex theological arrangement of the central image depicting the Resurrection and Anastasis (or the Harrowing of Hell), as well as the surrounding scenes which portray episodes taken from the New Testament with one scene appearing from the Old Testament. While the lives of Christ, the Virgin and other saints are regularly depicted in wall paintings and icons found in Orthodox churches, the careful selection of saints and scenes in this panel indicate a high level of scriptural comprehension on the part of the artist or patron. The appearance of the Apostle Peter in many of the scenes would seem to indicate that the name Peter was important to the patron of the icon.

The central image of the icon is incredibly rich in its iconography and depicts at least eight scenes from the New Testament including: the Resurrection, the myrrh bearing women, the Anastasis, the Crucifixion, the Trinity, the appearance of Christ to the apostles and doubting Thomas, Christ and Peter on the Sea of Galilee, and Peter inspecting the tomb of Christ. While some of the biblical events and figures depicted are inscribed in black lettering in Church Slavonic in the gold ground surrounding the central image, the largest script, above the image in red, indicates that the central panel represents the Resurrection of Christ. The organisation of the imagery seems to run diagonally rather than horizontally, but there is a vertical component to the composition with the Resurrected Christ represented twice, with his tomb anchoring the centre of the image. In both instances Christ is shown surrounded by a golden mandorla which signifies his divinity. In the lower left, the Hell Mouth is open so that Christ can release the souls of the righteous and lead the procession up to Heaven. The Group is recorded on the icon as the 'Holy Forefathers' and refers to a feast which takes place on the second Sunday before Christmas, known as the 'Sunday of the Forefathers'. At the top of the Hell Mouth, an army of angels, called the 'Angels of the Lord,' keep the demons from emerging into the world. In Heaven, in the upper right corner, the souls of the Forefathers arrive at the gate of a city which is surmounted by a Seraph. At the gate stands the Resurrected Christ and the Archangel Gabriel. Above the gate is a scene from the book of Revelation in which Christ stands before the witnesses to the end of the world. These witnesses are identified by inscriptions as the Prophet Enoch and the Prophet Elijah. The figures below seated at the table represent the supper at Emmaus in which Christ dines with two followers, one of whom is named in the New Testament as Cleophas. Below this scene the three myrrh-bearing women, all of whom are called Mary, are shown the empty tomb of Christ by the Archangel Gabriel. The Roman soldiers, including Longinus, are shown sleeping around the opposite side of the sarcophagus. In the upper left corner of the central field, the Crucifixion shows Christ on the cross surrounded by Mary Magdalene, the Virgin, St John, and St Longinus, the standard iconography for the Crucifixion in Orthodoxy. To the right of the Crucifixion is the episode of the doubting Thomas in which several Apostles surround the Resurrected Christ while Thomas places his hand into the wound in Christ's side. Below the Crucifixion, the Apostle Peter is shown examining the tomb after Christ had been resurrected. The scene in the lower right of the central image displays Christ calling Peter to him as he walked along the Sea of Galilee while Peter was fishing.

The scenes surrounding the main image of the Resurrection are also labelled in the outermost margin of the icon with inscriptions in Church Slavonic in black ink. These scenes help to complete the dodekaorton, or twelve great feasts of the liturgical year, but also include some extra scenes which could have been chosen by a patron. The sixteen scenes depicted are:

(Five running across the top):

1) The Nativity of the Virgin.
This scene represents the birth of the Virgin Mary in the luxurious house of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anna who are both identified by inscription. Their wealth is delineated visually through the inclusion of grand architectural surroundings, a large and comfortable bed, exotic furnishings and by the inclusion of five attendants, two of whom are about to bathe the child. The Virgin, St Anna and St Joachim are all portrayed with golden nimbi or haloes. This feast day is celebrated on 8 September.

2) The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple.
In this scene the Virgin is taken by her parents to be presented at the Temple and consecrated to God. Mary is met at the door to the Temple by the High Priest Zachariah who is identified by an inscription and a nimbus. Joachim and Anna are also identified with inscriptions and golden nimbi. The liturgical space of the Temple is represented with grand architectural surroundings and a curtain, and operates on a vertical plane with steps ascending towards heaven. This narrative also operates on two levels with the young Virgin shown twice, both entering the Temple and also sitting in the sanctuary being miraculously fed by an angel. This feast day is celebrated on 21 November.

3) The Holy Trinity, also called, the Hospitality of Abraham.
This scene is one of the only representations of Old Testament imagery on the icon, and is considered a pre-figuration of the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity. While Abraham and his wife Sarah, both identified by inscriptions as well as nimbi, prepare to serve a meal to their three guests, a fatted calf is slaughtered in the foreground displaying their great generosity. The guests seated at the table have nimbi, but also wings to symbolise their sanctity. In this episode from the book of Genesis, three guests eventually become one guest during the course of the narrative and are therefore thought to represent an early appearance of the trinity in the Old Testament scripture. The house of Abraham is depicted in the background to the left as a large building of solid proportions rather than the tent described in the scriptures, but an attempt has been made to include the desert through the inclusion of the rocky cave on the right. The tree appearing behind the central angel is an iconographic reference to the oak tree of Mamre, which is said to mark the place where this scene took place. In Orthodoxy, the Trinity is celebrated on Pentecost, 50 day after Easter Sunday.

4) The Annunciation.
This representation of the Annunciation is distinguished by its rich iconography and inclusion of scriptural detail. Instead of the standard iconography of the Archangel Gabriel and Virgin alone, this panel also includes the figure of God the Father in Heaven, and a second figure of the Archangel. Gabriel is labelled by inscription in both instances making this identification a secure one. This dual depiction is a visual representation of the hesitation which the Archangel feels before confronting the Virgin to announce that she will give birth to God. The white dove which descends from the figure of God the Father is the Holy Spirit who will become Christ in the Virgins womb. This feast day is celebrated on 25 March.

5) The Nativity of Christ
The iconography of this scene is in keeping with the traditional Orthodox representation of the birth of Christ, but, again, is more detailed than the average scene and includes other narrative episodes from scripture. The Virgin, who is named and who has a nimbus, is shown reclining on a cushion in a cave, next to the manger which contains the Christ child. The manger is given a more monumental form and is meant to foreshadow the sarcophagus which will eventually contain his body. The animals leaning over the manger look as though they will consume the child in the same way in which the faithful will eventually consume his body and blood through the ritual of the liturgy and the doctrine of transubstantiation (in which the bread and wine are turned into the body and blood of Christ through the performance of the liturgy). The magi are also present, holding the three gifts which they present to the Virgin and Christ. Christ is illuminated by the star depicted in the centre of the sky. In a visual parallel to the birth of the Virgin, an attendant (usually called Salome but here un-named) is set to bathe the child in the lower right. Joseph is shown in the lower left and is identifiable from his nimbus and an inscription. He is being addressed by a hermit who recites the prophecy of Isaiah to him, which is sung in orthodox churches only during the liturgical celebrations which surround Christmas. Angels are also visible venerating the Christ child, but also announcing the birth to the shepherd on the right. This feast day is celebrated on 25 December.

(Second row down on the left and right)

6) The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
In this scene, again the lives of Christ and the Virgin are visually paired. As the virgin was consecrated to God in her childhood, so Christ is taken to the Temple as well. Here the child is presented to the High Priest Simeon by the Virgin, Joseph and Anna the mother of the Virgin. All figures are here identified with inscriptions and nimbi. The surrounding architectural structures are similar to the scene representing the Presentation of the Virgin, however, the verticality depicted in that scene is not required here as the sanctuary is not involved in the narrative. This feast day is celebrated on 2 February.

7) The Theophany, also called the Epiphany.
The Theophany, or Baptism of Christ, is a popular image in the art of the orthodox world, and has an iconography which is very rarely changed. In this case, the only addition to the usually represented scene is God the Father, who is shown in the centre of the sky, sending the Holy Spirit down to Christ. Here, the Holy Trinity is constructed in a vertical axis which occupies the entire image. The river Jordan serves as a means of dividing the field of the scene further and draws attention to the figures of John the Forerunner on the left, and the three angels on the right. The angels cover their hands as an indication of the sanctity of the moment which they witness. This feast day is celebrated on 6 January.

(Third row down on the left and right)

8) Then Entry of Christ into Jerusalem
In this scene, Christ sits astride his donkey and again divides the composition into two. On the left, following him, the apostles are shown with St Peter in the foreground. The inscription does not name the figures individually here, but rather as a group, the 'Apostles of the Lord'. To the right of the figure of Christ, the priests and people of Jerusalem emerge from the gate of the city to greet him. In the foreground, a child kneels and spreads a cloak on the ground before his donkey. This feast day is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter.

9) The Transfiguration
The iconography for this scene is again fixed in Orthodoxy and is rarely altered. Christ is shown standing on Mount Tabor in a mandorla, or ring of light. On the left, the prophet Elijah is shown, while on the right, the prophet Moses stands holding the tablet of the commandments. Below Christ from left to right are the Apostles Peter, John and James. All the figures are inscribed and have nimbi. Their awkward poses are an iconographic attempt to represent fear and awe in the flat two-dimensional space. The three rays which emanate from Christ depict the Holy Trinity. This feast day is celebrated on 6 August.

(Fourth row down on the left and right)

10) The Ascension
While the location of the Ascension is still a matter of specific debate, the orthodox world has fixed it on the Mount of Olives for scriptural reasons, and the iconography of this scene reflects this tradition through the construction of a rocky mountain top. Meant to take place 40 days after the Crucifixion, Christ is shown ascending into Heaven in a mandorla carried by two angels, while the Apostles and the Virgin watch from below. In this instance, two Archangels stand beside the Virgin, although they are both given the same name of Gabriel. The apostles are painted each according to their own iconography and are visually distinguished from one another, however they are labelled here again as a group, the 'Apostles of the Lord'. Peter and Paul are especially recognisable in the front left and right. Only eight Apostles are shown despite Scripture recording the attendance of eleven. The heavenly quality of the angels is indicated by the insubstantial rendering of their bodies (and of Christ) in flat gold. This feast day is celebrated forty days after Easter Sunday.

11) The Dormition of the Virgin
The Dormition of the Virgin is similar to the Assumption of the Virgin in the West, but the theology regarding the final stages of her life and her entry into Heaven differs slightly. In this instance, an iconographic reversal is used to portray the spirit of the Virgin as a small child carried by Christ, as opposed to the image of the Christ child being held by the Virgin. The space of the scene is divided into four registers. In the furthest back, an architectural space is created through the inclusion of two buildings flanking a gold ground containing a Seraph, or an angel of the first sphere is the celestial hierarchy. The Seraph accompanies the resurrected Christ who stands just below it in the third register holding the soul of the Virgin. In this perspectival layer, Christ is flanked by angels (again both assigned the name of Gabriel) and members of the orthodox clergy, although they are not identified by any inscription. In the second register, the Virgin herself is depicted on a funeral bier surrounded by the twelve Apostles, who are named, again, as the' Apostles of the Lord'. In the front register, the Orthodox episode of the amputation of Jephonias is depicted. According to tradition, Jephonias was a Jew who attempted to overturn the bier upon which the Virgin was laid out. When Jephonias touched the cloth upon which the Virgin reposed, his hands stuck to the cloth and he could not remove them. An angel then appeared and severed his hands with a sword. Once he had repented, his hands were restored to him, and Jephonias converted to Christianity. This feast day is celebrated on 15 August.

(Five running across the bottom)

12) The Raising of Lazarus
The miracle of the raising of Lazarus is an important feast on the Orthodox liturgical calendar, and is well represented in the visual arts of the Orthodox world. The two women who kneel before Christ have nimbi and are identified as Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Christ has his hand raised in benediction and again the Apostles are behind him and bear witness to the miracle. The city in the rocky landscape likely represents the city of Bethany, near Jerusalem. This feast day is celebrated on 17 December.

13) The Beheading of John the Forerunner (also known as John the Baptist)
In this scene, we find another narrative which is spread over a single visual space. Since John the Forerunner is depicted three times, the story unfolds all at once. To the left we see John imprisoned within a curving series of walls. The hand of God reaches down in benediction to bless the imprisoned prophet. In the centre of the image, a soldier decapitates John, and to the right the soldier presents the severed head to a crowned woman who is unidentified by inscription. It seems likely that the woman is Salome the daughter of Herodias. This feast day is celebrated on 7 January.

14) The Pentecost
Pentecost is the second most important feast in the orthodox liturgical calendar and is subsidiary only to Easter Sunday. The feast itself takes place fifty days after Easter (hence the name Pentecost) and celebrates the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles from Heaven in the guise of tongues of fire. In this scene, the Holy Spirit is represented by the flames visible at the top of the field directly above the Virgin. The twelve Apostles are all accounted for in this scene. This feast day is celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday.

15) The Protection of the Mother of God
The feast of the Protection or Intercession of the Mother of God is an important feast in Russian orthodoxy which is second only to the feasts of the dodekaorton. The iconography of this feast is complex and takes varying forms among which this is only one type. The feast commemorates the moment in the tenth century when St Andrew the Holy Fool and his disciple St Epiphanios (who are depicted and identified by inscription in the lower right) witnessed the Virgin descend from Heaven and enter the church of Blachernae in Constantinople. Behind the Virgin, a procession of saints and church fathers followed as she prayed for the salvation of the faithful and offered to intercede for their salvation to Christ who is depicted in the upper right in Heaven. Christ receives the prayers of the Virgin. To the left of St. Andrew, St. Romanos the melodist stands in a cathedra, or throne, holding a scroll which records his poetry. He is included here because the people were celebrating his feast day when the Virgin appeared to St. Andrew. To the left of Romanos are two members of the clergy, one of whom is the Patriarch Euthymios of Constantinople, and beside the Patriarch, the Byzantine Emperor Leo the Wise. Above Leo is one of his four wives. This feast is celebrated on 1 October.

16) The Exaltation of the Cross
The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross commemorates the finding of the True Cross by the Empress Helena and the consecration of the church of the Holy Sepulchre in the year 335 AD. To the left of the scene the Emperor Constantine and his mother the Empress Helena can be seen venerating the True Cross. The Patriarch Makarios, who has a nimbus and is named in an inscription, holds the cross aloft for the faithful to see. This feast day is celebrated on 14 September.

Russian (Palekh School)

1159-1864