Christ the Almighty
Second half of the 13th-14th century
Egg tempera on gesso, wood
65.5 x 41.5 cm
Northern School
This rare work, one of the oldest icons in the Hermitage, came from the iconostasis of the Church of the Prophet Elijah (1786), in the Vazentsy graveyard on the River Onega. Christ's face is distinguished by sharp lines marking the eyes and nose, bright cinnabar-red lips, and steady and vigorous drawing. The garment and open Gospels with its text in old Russian script are ornamented. The pictorial simplification characteristic of the Northern School does not lessen the expressiveness of the image.
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