Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art at the North Carolina Museum

of History October 4, 5, 2013March 5, 2014

NC Museum of History NC Museum of History

Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art

NC Museum of History

Ph o to gra p h s co u r te sy o f Ma s o n S k l u t

NC Museum of History

Altar Cover, gilt thread on textile, late 19th c. An epitaphios (or Slavonic plashchanitsa) is a large cloth icon, embroidered and richly adorned, used during the services and processio ns of Good Friday and Holy Saturday in the Eastern Churches. The icon depicts Christ after He has been removed from the cross, lying supine, as His body is being prepared for burial. The scene is taken from the Gospel of St. John. Shown around Him, mourning His death, are His mother (the Theotokos, or Blessed Virgin Mary); John, the beloved disciple; Joseph of Arimathea; Mary Magdalene; Nicodemus; and angels. The Four Evangelists are represented in the corners.

Icon: A Sacred Image

From the Greek word for image, an icon is a particular type of sacred painting created in a formulaic manner following prototypes developed in the Byzantine Empire. Found in homes and churches, icons depict holy persons and saints, as well as scenes from scriptures. The icons are not objects of devotion in their own right. Eastern Orthodox Christians venerate icons as conduits to God and a focus for their prayers and meditation. Thus icons become windows into heaven.

Russian Icons: Traditional and Innovative

When Russia converted to Orthodox Christianity in 988, its churches adopted the ancient tradition of Byzantine icon painting. Over time, Russians developed a distinctive style of iconography. During the mid-17th century, a split in the Russian Orthodox Church transformed icon production. Windows into Heaven: The traditionalists (Old Believers) continued to maintain the conventional style Russian Icons from the of iconography, while the State Church Lilly and Francis Robicsek made distinct changes that sanctioned a mixture of Byzantine stylization and Collection of Religious Art Western European realism. The newer brings together Russian images more closely resembled Catholic religious art of the time.

Sacred Images

icons dating from the 18th and 19th centuries on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek, of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Windows into Heaven at the North Carolina Museum of History

St. Nicholas and Mother of God, egg tempera and gilt on wood, late 19th c. Miniature Triptych: St. Michael and Archangels, enamel and silver, late 19th c. Archangel Michael ranks as the chief archangel, the guard and protector of Gods honor. The scriptures call Archangel Michael prince and leader of the Lords army; he is depicted as the major fighter in the battle against the devil and peoples transgressions. He is therefore the patron saint of chivalry and warriors and is often portrayed as a warrior saint. He is also the patron saint of Kiev. St. Nicholas, the most widely revered saint in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, was a bishop in 4th-century Lycia, Anatolia. According to tradition, he was present at the Council of Nicea, where he violently attacked the heretic Arius. Christ and the Mother of God appeared to Nicholas that night in a dream, endorsing his conduct. This vision is referred to by the miniatures of Christ and the Mother of God shown on either side of the saint. In icons, Nicholas is traditionally depicted as a bishop who wears robes and a stole decorated with crosses.

This exhibition includes many popular Christian themes. The Mother of God (Theotokos), events in the life of Christ, and the apostles and evangelists will be immediately recognizable to many visitors. Less familiar representations include the Old Testament Trinity, as well as saints important to Russia, such as Cyril and Methodius and Seraphim of Sarov. Numerous icons in the exhibit spent time in a Russian Orthodox church. Others hung on the wall in the krasny ugol, or beautiful corner of a Russian religious home. The Russian Revolution of 1917 brought an end to the production of Russian religious icons, a stoppage that lasted until communism collapsed in Eastern Europe during the late 1980s. These imagessources of comfort in times of sorrow and in an often dismal world of hardships provide a window into a complex, distant past. They are glimpses into eternity with roots in antiquity.

NC Museum of History

NC Museum of History

Vladimir Mother of God, egg tempera and gilt on wood, 19th c. This rendering follows that of the great icon painted in Constantinople in the late 11th century that was brought to Russia as a gift of the Greek Patriarch Luke Chrysoberges to the Grand Prince of Kiev, Yuri Dolgoruky. Later the icon was transferred to the city of Vladimir, the source of its name. Since that time it has been the chief icon of the Russian state, especially during the period of Tatar invasions. Resurrection and Feasts, egg tempera and gilt on wood, late 19th c. The central image shows Christs resurrection, including the descent into hell. The images around the central picture are the festivals of the church that show scenes from the life of Christ. This example follows the style of the popular tradition of Russian villages at the end of the 19th century.

Mandylion, or Icon Not Made by Hands, egg tempera and gilt on wood, 19th c. This particular kind of icon reportedly came into existence miraculously, not by the hands of a human painter. According to legend, King Abgar of Edessa was ill and sent for Jesus. Christ could not go to the king, so instead He sent a linen cloth on which He had dried His face. The story continues that the cloth carried to the king had an impression of Christs face on it. The king was healed when he received the cloth.

Royal Doors from an Iconostasis, egg tempera and gilt on wood, 19th c. Images of the angel Gabriel and the Mother of God represent the Annunciation, with the Four Evangelists below. In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. The wall represents the link between the nave (the Holy Place) and heaven (the Holy of Holies). Royal doors are the central opening of an iconostasis, reserved for use by the bishop and the priest when carrying either the Gospel book or the chalice containing the Holy Eucharist.

Baptism of Christ, egg tempera and gilt on wood, 19th c. Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Christ appears naked in the river, and John the Baptist and angels stand on the rocky banks on either side. The Holy Spirit is descending from heaven toward Christ in the form of a dove in a ray of light.

Crucifixion, egg tempera and gilt on wood, late 19th c. The image of the Crucifixion is surrounded by five smaller scenes, including St. George; Deisis (Christ enthroned); Archangel Michael; and Saints Cosmas and Damian (early Christian martyrs born in Arabia who practiced the art of healing in Syria).

Kazan Mother of God, egg tempera and gilt on wood, late 19th c. This example is one of the many icons based on the famous prototype of the Virgin that was discovered in 1579. Per tradition, the Mother of God revealed the location of the image to a young girl. The Kazan Mother of God is considered the protectress of all Russia.

Old Testament Trinity, or Hospitality of Abraham, egg tempera and gilt on wood, 18th c. The above icon depicts the scene as recorded in chapter 18 of the book of Genesis in which three angels appeared to the patriarch Abraham at the oak of Mamre. This rendering takes after a famous interpretation by Andrei Rublev.

NC Museum of History

NC Museum of History