Orthodox Iconography
- Thread starter Iacobus
- Start date
I think we should put one of these next to the text Christ the King on the main page.
Narekatsi
Oriental Orthodox
That is a masterful rendition of this style. Is this from a specific source? I'd be interested in acquiring one.I think we should put one of these next to the text Christ the King on the main page.
Yes, that one is really balanced and nice. It has a sort of calm beauty that stands out compared to a lot of the others, which are also nice but not quite as picturesque, I'd say. I searched "christ icon face" on image searches and also christ pantocrator. A similar, hazier one is also there which has the grainier Rublev type style that I also like.
I use the one you shared in my prayer corner and I also have a small wooden one of the same icon that's from Greece. I love this one.
Saint Paisios, of blessed memory, says this icon, 'Mary of Jerusalem', most closely resembles Mother Mary than any he has ever seen.
Some people note the interesting symbolism of Judas leaving behind his halo on the way to betray Christ. Another interesting thing about this icon. Judas is painted in profile, which is very rarely done. In icons of Saints usually you can see both eyes so that when we look at them we can make eye contact. However traditionally, demons, Satan, and other evil characters are depicted in profile. This is so that you cannot make eye contact with them.
You can see it in icons of the nativity too. Where Joseph is being tempted by Satan:
Joseph is depicted in the bottom left, and the figure with the staff is Satan tempting him. Notice he is also depicted in profile. This is so we do not get the evil eye from them!
Of course as with many things, you will find exceptions to this, but it is a fascinating example of how well thought out the symbolism is in iconography
Consultant
Orthodox
Icon of Christ Pantocrator, which is kept in the treasury of the monastery Chilandar
My Godfather gave me a copy of this icon for my baptism. It is beautiful
Looks like the Battle of Kosovo from the title at the top. We’ll need a good Serb to educate us on the significance thereof.
Blue Theotokos. Remember Psalm 44! Those who draw near her shall be brought to the king.
It's indeed the Battle of Kosovo, 1389. The Serbian side communed before battle knowing most would be martyred by the Ottomans. Centuries of subjugation were to follow. In the cultural memory the battle represents the choosing of the eternal over the temporal, the voluntary cross to the point of martyrdom rather than compromise with the world and untruth.