Item 57
Saints John and Basil of Moscow
Circa 1882
Oil on wood panel
12.25” x 10”
James and Tatiana Jackson Collection
Saints John (left) and Basil (right) were given the distinction Khrista radiiurodivuiy (Russian) “Holy Fools for Christ’s Sake.” In icons, Holy Fools were depicted either with very simple clothing, or no clothing at all. The holy fools abandoned possessions, even the appearance of intelligence, all for Christ. The scriptural basis for their lives is I Corinthians 3:18, “Let no man deceive himself. If any among you seems to be wise in the world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.” In this example John is shown on the left wearing tattered clothing, and holding a crutch in his left hand. On the right Basil is depicted partially clothed with hands to his chest. The background displays the Kremlin wall of Moscow. It is Basil for whom the famous Moscow Cathedral in Red Square, recognized by its multicolored swirled cupolas, is named. This icon exhibits no signs of traditional icon painting, either in medium (oil) or style (naturalistic). The reverse of this icon is inscribed “Abramtsevo 1898.” Abramtsevo, an artist colony close to the village of the same name near Moscow, is considered by most to be the birthplace of the Pan Slavic style. Founded on a country estate in 1875 by the wealthy industrialist and patron of the arts, Savva Mamontov, the colony included an amateur theater, carpentry workshop, ceramic studio, church, and painting studio. It was frequented by many of Russia’s great artists, including Victor Vasnetsov, Konstantin Stanislavsky, Vasily Polenov, Repin and Nesterov to name just a few. This example shows elements characteristic of the artist Nesterov.