Russian icon of the Moscow school, 19th century.
"Siege of Kazan. Blessed be the host of the King of Heaven."
Tempera on board.
Precise cleaning.
Measurements: 90 x 89 cm; 93 x 92 cm (frame).
Without exaggeration we can say that we are in front of a historical monument. The icon "Blessed be the host of the King of Heaven", dedicated to the siege of Kazan by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 1552, tells one of the most important passages of the expansion of the Moscow principality, and the Russian victory over the Golden Horde, which occupied the territory of Ancient Rus since the beginning of the 13th century.
The present icon is modeled after the original icon, almost four meters long, now preserved in the Tretyakov National Gallery. It was personally commissioned by Ivan IV the Terrible, to tell the story of the great battle of Kazan, and, along with it, to develop the belief that Moscow is the third Rome, and descended from the New Jerusalem.
The main iconographic source of this icon is the Apocalypse, where the New Jerusalem is described, and Orthodox songs, where it is emphasized that the martyrs, who will repeat the suffering of Christ, will reach heaven earlier. Moreover, part of the icon corresponds exactly to the text of the message of Metropolitan Macarius, who blessed the warriors before the beginning of the Kazan campaign. In it he promises the soldiers, that all warrior heroes, who will die on the battlefield, will ascend to the New Jerusalem.
In the lower right is the burning city, Kazan, the city of the devil, in reference to the Mongol occupation, which should have been burned to be reborn from the ashes. The fire, in this case, is not the symbol of destruction, but of purification. From this miniature move the equestrian troops, who go in ascending triangular composition towards the allegorical New Jerusalem, symbolizing Moscow, located in the upper right corner, in the form of a mystical mandorla, with the seated Virgin and Child, and in the background a red facade. They are waiting for the dead warriors. The angels around the mandorla receive the crowns to give to the martyrs. The New Jerusalem is on the right side of the icon, it is the rectangular object, reminiscent of a chest, from which descends the paradisiacal river. An element loaded with complex symbolism, which, in general terms, alludes to the source of life.
The groups of warriors are divided into groups. They are dressed in red, and have nimbuses, both are symbols of martyrdom. The warriors with pointed helmets are the enemies. Among this horror vacui, there are some recognized real historical characters, such as Vladimir with his sons Boris and Gleb, in the lower register; Dmitri Donskoi in the upper register; as well as Alexander Nevsky, brother of Ivan IV Georgiy, among others. The ascending row of warriors ends at the mystic mandorla, in which is the archangel St. Michael equestrian on the winged fiery horse, this representation is very uncommon in Russian icons of the 16th century. His horse is pointing towards Moscow, but his body is facing backwards, calling the warriors to follow him to the end.
In two other mystical mandorlas in the upper center and right upper register are depictions of the Holy Trinity, and the prophet Elijah respectively. The Trinity follows the traditional Old Testament canon, representing the scene of Avraham's hospitality, and recalls the famous icon of the same name by Andrey Rubliov. The prophet Elijah is also depicted according to the canon, riding the chariot of heavenly fire, which, according to the Old Testament, took him, even mortal, to heaven, for his virtuous life.
In chromatic and compositional terms, the icon is full of dynamism, and almost magical energy. It is due to the combination of saturated shades of reddish and greenish colors, on the neutral ocher background, and multiple invisible diagonals.