Russian school, workshops of the Old Believers, 18th century.
"Resurrection and the Descent of Christ into Hell".
Tempera on panel.
Work exhibited in "Oriens. Exposició d'icones de l'Eglesia Oriental", Parroquia de Sant Joan, Lleida, 2003.
Size: 35 x 30,5 cm.
Christ's Descent into Hell is one of the most important representations in Christian iconography. This passage has been known in Ancient Russia since the 11th century, although it became most popular in the second half of the 14th century. The iconography of this New Testament passage finally developed in the 17th century in Moscow workshops. In this period, the icon reached its maximum complexity, combining the New and Old Testament passages and, at the same time, composing the scenes of the Resurrection and Christ's descent into hell in one. The composition of the icon in question corresponds to a canon of the theme of the Resurrection and Christ's descent into hell, surrounded by twelve hagiographic scenes, which relate different Marian passages and passages from the life of Christ.
Stylistically, the work is characterised by the use of golden backgrounds alluding to God and reddish colours symbolising the passion and blood of Christ, as well as by the marked hieratism of the figures and the special attention to symbolic details, defining features of orthodox art. In addition, a number of details, such as the two-fingered blessing, the abundant inscriptions on the border, the eight-pointed cross, and the name of Jesus Christ written as "ICXI", etc., link this icon to the workshops of the Russian Orthodox Old Believers.