Resurrection – Descent into Hell, with the Feasts and the Selected Saints
Iconography: Resurrection – The Descent into Hell, Selected saints, Selected holidays
Date: XVI century. First half of the XVIth century
Iconographic school/art center: Solvychegodsk
Origin: was deposited from the Solvychegodsk museum of History and arts (Blagoveshchensky cathedral).
Material: Wood, cut-back central portion, levkas, tempera
Dimensions: height 129 cm, width 87,5 cm
Christ tramples the brokn gated of Hell. The Savior is represented against the background of the mandorla with the angels defeating the devils. Christ holds the hands of Adam and Eve rising from their tombs. At the sides of the mandorla are depicted the Old Testament tsars and prophets, among them are David, Solomon, John the Forerunner.
In the lower tier is depicted the hell in the shape of the dark yawning abyss. The souls of the righteos people dressed in white are waiting for release, reaching forth their arms to Christ. In the lower part of the icon are 6 scenes with the Feasts: “Annunciation” in the variant of “Annunciation near the well”, “Nativity of Christ”, “Baptism”, “Holy Trinity”, “Exaltation of the Holy Cross”. Below are 18 half-figures of the Selected Saints. Among them are saint unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian, great martyrs Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Gerge and Nicetas, saint princes – passion bearers Boris and Gleb, prophet Elijah, Saint Athanasius the Great, Nicholas the Wonderworker, saint martyrs Blasius of Sebaste and St. Clement of Rome, Martyrs Florus and Laurus, unknown saint in red-blue attire and white cloth covering his head (St. Longinus, the Centurion?), great martyresses Parasceva, Catherine and Barbara.
Registration number ДРЖ-118. © State Museum Association «Art Culture of the Russian North»
Bibliography:
Иконы Русского Севера. Шедевры древнерусской живописи Архангельского музея изобразительных искусств. М., 2007. Т. 1. № 45. С. 214-217.
General view