DOI Artikel:
Sulikowska, Aleksandra: The Old-Believers' Images of God as the Father: Theology and Cult
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18949#0114
Resurrected Christ. On the right God the Father in white robes is seated, on
the left the Saviour in yermilion robes covered with chrysography with
a book in his hand. Both, God and Christ, raise their right hands in the two-
-fingered blessing gesture. Their heads are surrounded with haloes, Father’s
by an eight-armed halo, Son’s by a cross one. Between them the Holy Ghost
is presented in the form of a dove surrounded with a red sphere radiating
golden rays. Below one can see the world sphere with an eight-armed cross,
a spear and a fiery seraph. The background is of green hue. Above the Father’s
figurę an inscription God Sabaoth (“Iffb CaBaox|xb”) is placed. Analogous
images on the Pomorskiye prayer ąuadraptychs are always accompanied
by the words of Credo: “He ascended heaven and is seated at His Father’s
right hand”.2
God Sabaoth
At the centre of the Saturday ofAll Saints (Shestodney) icon (ill. 3),2X among
the rows of scenes symbolising days of the week from Sunday till Friday,
there are six medallions with images of a bust of God the Father blessing with
both hands (God Sabaoth), corresponding to the six days of the world’s
creation (Hexaemeron). Below, in the scene illustrating Saturday God is
depicted above Christ Emmanuel residing on his throne among the Mother
of God, John the Baptist and rows of saints. God’s figurę is rendered frontally,
in the blessing gesture. The white-haired old man, clad in white chiton and
light green himation, is surrounded with a radiant golden mandorla and
hosts of angels. This icon, having immediate analogies in the Palekh painting,
probably refers to earlier Stroganov patterns to which icon painters from the
workshop in Vladimir guberniya often referred.29
In the Fourfold icon consisting of depictions of Orthodox holidays:
Annunciation, The Natwity of Christ, Epiphany (Baptism in Jordan) and The
Dormition ofthe Virgin (ill. 4),30 the Lord of Hosts is presented in the upper
parts of Annunciation and Epiphany. Depicted in bust as a long-bearded old
man clad in golden robes, he turns towards the figures in the lower parts of
the icons. He is holding a sphere and from his mouth rays issue on which,
in a golden medallion, a dove symbolising the Holy Ghost is situated. God’s
head is surrounded by an eight-armed halo of red and navy-blue colour. The
medallions’ background is of golden hue, with clouds all around. Moreover,
on the Resurrection icon with two rows of border scenes, the inner
illustrating 12 scenes of the Passion of Christ and the outer - 16 Orthodox
2 Russia, 19th century, brass, cast, enamel, 17 x 39 cm, inv. no. IK 125; Russia, 19th century,
brass, cast, enamel, 17 x 39 cm, inv. no. 1K 126.
28 Palekh, 19th century, board, shpongi, kovcheg, tempera, 44.5 x 37.5 cm, inv. no. IK 61.
29 VI. Antonova, Drevnerusskoe iskusstuo v sobranii Pavla Korina, Moscow [1966], cat. 114; cf.
Iz novykh postupleniy. Katalog vystavki iz fondov Muzeya imeni Andreya Rubleua 1988-1992,
Moscow 1995, cat. no. 62, ill. 66.
30 Russia, Mstera, 19th century; board, koucheg, tempera, gilding, 35 x 30.5 cm, inv. no. IK 75.
112
the left the Saviour in yermilion robes covered with chrysography with
a book in his hand. Both, God and Christ, raise their right hands in the two-
-fingered blessing gesture. Their heads are surrounded with haloes, Father’s
by an eight-armed halo, Son’s by a cross one. Between them the Holy Ghost
is presented in the form of a dove surrounded with a red sphere radiating
golden rays. Below one can see the world sphere with an eight-armed cross,
a spear and a fiery seraph. The background is of green hue. Above the Father’s
figurę an inscription God Sabaoth (“Iffb CaBaox|xb”) is placed. Analogous
images on the Pomorskiye prayer ąuadraptychs are always accompanied
by the words of Credo: “He ascended heaven and is seated at His Father’s
right hand”.2
God Sabaoth
At the centre of the Saturday ofAll Saints (Shestodney) icon (ill. 3),2X among
the rows of scenes symbolising days of the week from Sunday till Friday,
there are six medallions with images of a bust of God the Father blessing with
both hands (God Sabaoth), corresponding to the six days of the world’s
creation (Hexaemeron). Below, in the scene illustrating Saturday God is
depicted above Christ Emmanuel residing on his throne among the Mother
of God, John the Baptist and rows of saints. God’s figurę is rendered frontally,
in the blessing gesture. The white-haired old man, clad in white chiton and
light green himation, is surrounded with a radiant golden mandorla and
hosts of angels. This icon, having immediate analogies in the Palekh painting,
probably refers to earlier Stroganov patterns to which icon painters from the
workshop in Vladimir guberniya often referred.29
In the Fourfold icon consisting of depictions of Orthodox holidays:
Annunciation, The Natwity of Christ, Epiphany (Baptism in Jordan) and The
Dormition ofthe Virgin (ill. 4),30 the Lord of Hosts is presented in the upper
parts of Annunciation and Epiphany. Depicted in bust as a long-bearded old
man clad in golden robes, he turns towards the figures in the lower parts of
the icons. He is holding a sphere and from his mouth rays issue on which,
in a golden medallion, a dove symbolising the Holy Ghost is situated. God’s
head is surrounded by an eight-armed halo of red and navy-blue colour. The
medallions’ background is of golden hue, with clouds all around. Moreover,
on the Resurrection icon with two rows of border scenes, the inner
illustrating 12 scenes of the Passion of Christ and the outer - 16 Orthodox
2 Russia, 19th century, brass, cast, enamel, 17 x 39 cm, inv. no. IK 125; Russia, 19th century,
brass, cast, enamel, 17 x 39 cm, inv. no. 1K 126.
28 Palekh, 19th century, board, shpongi, kovcheg, tempera, 44.5 x 37.5 cm, inv. no. IK 61.
29 VI. Antonova, Drevnerusskoe iskusstuo v sobranii Pavla Korina, Moscow [1966], cat. 114; cf.
Iz novykh postupleniy. Katalog vystavki iz fondov Muzeya imeni Andreya Rubleua 1988-1992,
Moscow 1995, cat. no. 62, ill. 66.
30 Russia, Mstera, 19th century; board, koucheg, tempera, gilding, 35 x 30.5 cm, inv. no. IK 75.
112