19th century Russian icon.
"Pantocrator and Tetramorphs".
Painting on wood.
Lacking polychromy. In need of restoration.
Measurements: 35,5 x 31,5 x 3 cm.
The Pantocrator, in hieratic position and adopting the sign of the blessing, appears in a seated attitude and its mandorla is accompanied by the representation of the four allegories or Tetramorphs that identify the evangelists: the angel (St. Matthew), the eagle (St. John the Evangelist), the lion (St. Mark) and the bull (St. Luke). The characteristic red tones in contrast to the blue and gold, together with the stylisation of the linear line, are characteristic of Russian icons.
Orthodox icons belong to a tradition that is alien to representational painting. In icons everything has a symbolism: the colour must express the inner luminosity, a light that does not come from the physical world. In them there is no usual space either, just as there are no conventional events. The icon is a window onto a world of a spiritual nature.