click to view larger image

5-Russian Icon
Holy John the Forerunner
Circa 1690
Egg tempera, gold leaf on wood panel, 12.5" x 11"
James and Tatiana Jackson Collection


nown in Western Christianity as John the Baptist, he is commonly called John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy. In the New Testament he was the forerunner of Christ’s earthly ministry, and in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, he was also the precursor of Christ’s descent into Hades. In this example, he is seen as an “Angel of the Wilderness,” depicted with wings and wearing a hair shirt. The wings derive from the double meaning of the Greek word used to describe him in Mark 1:2, “As it is written in Isaias, the prophet, behold I send thy angelos (meaning both messenger and angel) before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.” John holds a staff in his right hand and in his left hand he holds a salver containing his head and a scroll which begins, “At that time Herod, the tetrarch, heard of the fame of Jesus…” […and he said to his servants, this is John the Baptist…] (Matthew 14:1). He is surrounded with related scenes. Clockwise from the lower left corner as inscribed on the border is the ZACHATIE SVYATAGO IOANN PREDTECHA: “The Conception Holy John the Forerunner.” Next is the “Birth of John,” followed by “An Angel Taking the Child John into the Wilderness,” there to remain until he comes of age. Continuing we see “The Assembly of Holy John the Forerunner” (the crowds assemble at the Jordan for baptism), “The Beheading of John the Forerunner” and the “Finding of the Honorable Head of John the Forerunner,” in this case the third of three such discoveries. The overall style and pallet would suggest a Yaralslavl or Armory School trained artist. Here again in this icon the main figure of John, in particular his face, is rendered in a more natural way or realistic manner.
 

click to view larger image

6-Russian Icon
Saint Paraskeva Piatnitsa
Circa 1690
Egg tempera on wood panel, 27.5" x 23.5"
James and Tatiana Jackson Collection


orn in the 3rd century under the rule of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), Saint Paraskeva is shown with angels placing a crown on her head. In her left hand she holds a cross, a sign of her martyrdom. In her right hand she holds a scroll inscribed in Old Church Slavonic: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth…” In the upper left corner is the “Not Made by Hands Image.” The abbreviated Old Church Slavonic inscription located beneath each angel and reading from left to right identifies the subject as “The Image of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva Piatnitsa.” In Greek, the word for Friday is Paraskeva, In Russia Piatnitsa. With Friday being the traditional market day, Saint Paraskeva is venerated as Patron of the market or commerce. The size and shape of this panel suggests it was most likely a church icon probably from the local tier of the iconostasis in a rural church, chapel or shrine. It would appear that all but the face and hands of this icon have been overpainted. This practice was common due to the nature of the varnish used to coat icons. The boiled linseed and resin concoction darkened substantially over a 100-year period, requiring icons to be re-freshened or repainted.