Inseparable from the liturgical tradition, religious art
is seen by Orthodox Christians as a form of pictorial
confession of faith and a channel of religious
experience. Because the icons provide direct
personal contact with the holy persons represented
on them, these images were objects of veneration, in
either a public or private setting, and were even
believed to have the ability to heal.
The composition of this icon has been divided into
four equal partitions. The upper left panel features
The Virgin of the Burning Bush. Here, the Virgin is
contained within a blue diamond, surround by angels
contained in clouds that rotate around the Virgin.
Smaller scenes are depicted in the four corners,
including Moses and the burning bush in the top left
and Jacob’s ladder in the bottom right. Moving
clockwise, the next panel represents the Old
Testament Trinity Prefiguring the Incarnation, one of
the most popular Biblical scenes in Russian
iconography. Next, St. Panteleymon the Healer is
represented holding a spoon in one hand and his
medicine box in the other. The final panel represents
scenes from the life of Elijah. Stylistically, much of
the painting is derived from earlier Byzantine icons
and mosaics including the linear fold of the figures’
drapery and the solid, gold leaf back ground
symbolic of the light of heaven. Above all, this holy
icon was meant to be venerated and meditated upon.
It could both heal the sick and bring the faithful that
much closer to god.
Inseparable from the liturgical tradition, religious art
is seen by Orthodox Christians as a form of pictorial
confession of faith and a channel of religious
experience. Because the icons provide direct
personal contact with the holy persons represented
on them, these images were objects of veneration, in
either a public or private setting, and were even
believed to have the ability to heal.
The composition of this icon has been divided into
four equal partitions. The upper left panel features
The Virgin of the Burning Bush. Here, the Virgin is
contained within a blue diamond, surround by angels
contained in clouds that rotate around the Virgin.
Smaller scenes are depicted in the four corners,
including Moses and the burning bush in the top left
and Jacob’s ladder in the bottom right. Moving
clockwise, the next panel represents the Old
Testament Trinity Prefiguring the Incarnation, one of
the most popular Biblical scenes in Russian
iconography. Next, St. Panteleymon the Healer is
represented holding a spoon in one hand and his
medicine box in the other. The final panel represents
scenes from the life of Elijah. Stylistically, much of
the painting is derived from earlier Byzantine icons
and mosaics including the linear fold of the figures’
drapery and the solid, gold leaf back ground
symbolic of the light of heaven. Above all, this holy
icon was meant to be venerated and meditated upon.
It could both heal the sick and bring the faithful that
much closer to god.
- (PF.5753)
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