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CHRIST PANTOCRATOR

Creator(s): Unknown (Painter) , Unknown (Silversmith)

On view in: Russian Sacred Arts Gallery


About this object

Christ is depicted half-length, fully facing the viewer, with his right hand raised in blessing and the gospel, opened to the passage "Come unto me all who labor and are heavy laden" (Mark 11:26), held in his left hand protected by a cloth. His face is long and painted in feathery cross-hatching to build up the highlights on the forehead, cheeks and heel of the raised hand. His hair, sparse beard, small moustache and spiky eyelashes are all painted in meticulous detail. His eyes are red lidded with pronounced tearducts and they are turned sharply towards his left. All but the face and hands are covered by a silver gilt repousse oklad. Christ's himation is chased with a fir-branch pattern with a gophered border, worn over a mesh-patterned chiton. An imposing venets worked in repousse strap work set with thirty-nine red, purple, and green pastes surrounds his head and the letters O O N are picked out in tiny turquoises. The polia echoes the strap work of the venets and the ground is plain. The board has two vertical shponki inserted in the back, which is covered with faded brown velvet.

Object name:
CHRIST PANTOCRATOR
Made from:
Tempera on wood -- silver -- enamel -- paste stones
Made in:
Moscow, Russia
Date made:
1860
Size:
31.1 × 26.5 cm (12 1/4 × 10 7/16 in.)

Detailed information for this item

Catalog number:
54.22
Class:
ICON
Signature marks:
MARK OKLAD: beside Christ's p.r. shoulder 1) I.A 1860 (in square) for tester I. Avdeev 1852-62 (P-L #2110), 2) 84 for silver content, 3) St George and the Dragon for Moscow, 4) AN for unknown master 1852-1860 INSCRIPTION; LABEL ICON: verso: "No 18" (on label); "THIS ICON HAS TO BE DONE NO 18" (on strapping tape) OKLAD: black on white enamel plaques 1) "IS" "KhS" (top corners), 2) "GD' VSEDERZHITEL'" (center of lower polia), 3) "PRIIDETE KO MNE VSE TRUZHDAIUSHCHIISIA I OT BREMEN SIE I AZ' O UPOKOIU VY; VOZMITE IGO MOE NA SEBE I NAUCHITESIA OT MNE" (on the open gospel)
Credit line:
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973