The Intercession of the Theotokos is one of the best Palekh icons of the late 18th century.
Its iconography originates from of the cycle of illustrations to the Akathist to the Mother of God, the most important church chant glorifying the saint. It begins with the words, ‘To Thee, the Champion Leader, we Thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and of thanksgiving as ones rescued out of sufferings…’
The Intercession depicts a wonderful story described in the Life of Andrew the Fool. Once, during a night-long vigil at the Church of Blachernae, Andrew and his disciple saw the Mother of God. The Most Holy Virgin walked through the air, surrounded by angels and a host of saints. She took off her maphorion (a garment covering the head and shoulders) and spread it over the worshipers. It is believed that her appearance symbolized the salvation of the inhabitants of the city from an enemy invasion.
In the Russian tradition, icon painters portrayed the miracle of the Intercession in several different ways. Some icons, mostly those made in Novgorod, show the events of the night-long vigil. In them, the Holy Virgin appears before people, accompanied by John the Theologian and John the Baptist, as well as other saints in white vestments.
In the Rostov-Suzdal and Moscow traditions, the Mother of God is depicted in front of a temple with her veil in her hands.
The Palekh icon belongs to the Moscow tradition. The artist portrayed the characters not in action, but in a pose of prayerful intercession. Prayerful intercession is an ancient iconographic scheme depicting the worshipers turned to the divine figure with the gesture of ‘adoration’, or prayer.
The composition is characterize by vertical rhythms and strict symmetry. The author depicted the Holy Virgin on the second tier, surrounded by saints on the right and left. They are half-turned and relaxed, but their faces are sad and sublime. This gives the icon a special solemn look.
Among the characters, the artist depicted Romanos the Melodist, the author of hymns dedicated to the Mother of God. But we known that the hymnographer lived long before the ‘Blachernae miracle’, therefore his image violates the principles of historicism. The author also depicted the figure of Tarasios of Constantinople, who opposed the iconoclasts at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (which also does not correspond in time to the appearance of the Theotokos). This way, the moment depicted in the icon is perceived as a miracle, and not as a historical event.
The Intercession of the Theotokos shares the same style as the icons of Akathist to the Savior and Akathist to the Mother of God, which were painted in the 1770s for the Palekh Holy Cross Church. Their common features include a white background, dark olive margins, and white floral ornaments on architectural structures. The technique used to create volume is also similar and involves the use of cold light turquoise paint to outline the figures.
However, several features indicate that the Intercession belongs to a later stage in the history of Palekh icon painting. This is noticeable in the harsher lines, the colors diluted with white pigment, and the new architectural forms with pronounced classic architecture elements.
Its iconography originates from of the cycle of illustrations to the Akathist to the Mother of God, the most important church chant glorifying the saint. It begins with the words, ‘To Thee, the Champion Leader, we Thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and of thanksgiving as ones rescued out of sufferings…’
The Intercession depicts a wonderful story described in the Life of Andrew the Fool. Once, during a night-long vigil at the Church of Blachernae, Andrew and his disciple saw the Mother of God. The Most Holy Virgin walked through the air, surrounded by angels and a host of saints. She took off her maphorion (a garment covering the head and shoulders) and spread it over the worshipers. It is believed that her appearance symbolized the salvation of the inhabitants of the city from an enemy invasion.
In the Russian tradition, icon painters portrayed the miracle of the Intercession in several different ways. Some icons, mostly those made in Novgorod, show the events of the night-long vigil. In them, the Holy Virgin appears before people, accompanied by John the Theologian and John the Baptist, as well as other saints in white vestments.
In the Rostov-Suzdal and Moscow traditions, the Mother of God is depicted in front of a temple with her veil in her hands.
The Palekh icon belongs to the Moscow tradition. The artist portrayed the characters not in action, but in a pose of prayerful intercession. Prayerful intercession is an ancient iconographic scheme depicting the worshipers turned to the divine figure with the gesture of ‘adoration’, or prayer.
The composition is characterize by vertical rhythms and strict symmetry. The author depicted the Holy Virgin on the second tier, surrounded by saints on the right and left. They are half-turned and relaxed, but their faces are sad and sublime. This gives the icon a special solemn look.
Among the characters, the artist depicted Romanos the Melodist, the author of hymns dedicated to the Mother of God. But we known that the hymnographer lived long before the ‘Blachernae miracle’, therefore his image violates the principles of historicism. The author also depicted the figure of Tarasios of Constantinople, who opposed the iconoclasts at the Seventh Ecumenical Council (which also does not correspond in time to the appearance of the Theotokos). This way, the moment depicted in the icon is perceived as a miracle, and not as a historical event.
The Intercession of the Theotokos shares the same style as the icons of Akathist to the Savior and Akathist to the Mother of God, which were painted in the 1770s for the Palekh Holy Cross Church. Their common features include a white background, dark olive margins, and white floral ornaments on architectural structures. The technique used to create volume is also similar and involves the use of cold light turquoise paint to outline the figures.
However, several features indicate that the Intercession belongs to a later stage in the history of Palekh icon painting. This is noticeable in the harsher lines, the colors diluted with white pigment, and the new architectural forms with pronounced classic architecture elements.
