The name of the icon My heart is inditing a good matter refers to the first verse of the 45th psalm of David in the Holy Scripture and means My heart is overflowing with a good theme. The icon illustrates the text in detail: the master who painted the image sought to be as close as possible to the literary source. By the Divine Wisdom the Orthodox tradition means God the Logos – the second person of the Holy Trinity embodied in Jesus Christ. The Book of Proverbs says of Him: Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.
Sophia the Divine Wisdom
Creation period
Second half of the 17th century
Dimensions
48,5x40 cm
Technique
Tempera
Collection
Exhibition
1
Open in app#1
Unknown author
Sophia the Divine Wisdom
#2
#12
Icons of Sophia were popular in the Yaroslavl icon painting of the 17th century. Most of the images on the subject were created in the first half – middle of 17th century. Presumably, the icon from the Yaroslavl Museum Reserve dates back to that same time.
On it, in the centre of the composition, on the golden throne with a magnificent ornament there is a young man in royal clothes. In his hands, he holds a sword and a merilo – staff of righteousness. This is an allegorical image of one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, God the Son.
#13
He is flanked by the Theotokos and the Prophet John the Forerunner; they are depicted in crowns and with wings. Two angels soar above the pastures of Heaven: one of them holds a house in his hands, the other pours holy anointing oil on the head of Sophia the Son of God.
#14
The upper part of the icon depicts blessing God the Father in a cloudy semicircle. He holds in His left hand a myrrh vessel with a narrow neck. The Holy Spirit, the third hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, is painted traditionally in the form of a dove.
In the left and right parts of the icon, the artist depicted Kings David and Solomon. David holds an open book with the words My heart is inditing a good matter, and Solomon – a cup and a scroll with the inscription: Wisdom hath builded her house….
#15
The image emphasizes the royal dignity of the Son of God. He is not only the Tsar, but also the formidable Judge: the figures of the fallen soldiers at the foot of the throne are the enemies of the Tsar mentioned in the psalm. They are dressed in gold and silver chain mail; next to them lie fallen helmets, swords and shields.
#16
The icon is dominated by bright colours; there is a lot of gold and light ochre. The clothes are painted with contrasting colours: red and green. Some of the garments are executed with semi-translucent varnishes, which makes the golden ground visible. One of the peculiar features of the icon is the figures in rich cloth before the throne: a kneeling maiden in a golden crown and a man in a cloak covered with patterns. The depiction of these characters is uncharacteristic of such icons.
#17
Yaroslavl Museum Reserve
read morehide
00:00
00:00
1x
Sophia the Divine Wisdom
Creation period
Second half of the 17th century
Dimensions
48,5x40 cm
Technique
Tempera
Collection
Exhibition
1
Point your smartphone camera to open in the appOpen in app
Share
