Russia, ca. 19th century CE. Brilliantly painted in egg tempera and gold leaf on wood, a large-scale arch-shaped icon depicting the Crucifixion with bystanders, a pair of mourning angels and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove at the upper end of the Cross, and God the Father flanked by the sun and moon above. Notice that the celestial beings float upon meticulously stylized clouds, attesting to the artistry of the painter. The skull at the foot of the Cross alludes to Golgotha (the place of the skull) which also represents the skull of Adam. In the background is a rendering of the city walls and gates of Jerusalem. Interestingly, there are bullet holes on the surface of this icon, most likely a result of the Bolsheviks' attitude toward religion (see discussion below). A sacred composition rendered with fine lines, jewel tone hues, and sumptuous gold leaf haloes and angel wings - intriguing for its aesthetic, religious iconography, as well as political history. Size: 33.5" W x 40.75" H (85.1 cm x 103.5 cm)

Just who stands beside the Cross in this depiction of the Crucifixion? According to Curator Jeanne Marie Warzeski, in their respective Gospels, all four evangelists identify several women who were present at the Crucifixion; however, only the Gospel of John mentions the presence of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Therefore, this icon, which shows the Mother of Jesus closest to the Cross, is most likely describing John's account. Mary is shown in the company of two other women standing to the left of the Cross. The women next to her are most likely Mary Magdalene and Mary, the wife of Clopas , as John mentions his mother’s sister and Mary Magdalene in his account. On the other side of the Cross is John, Joseph of Arimathea, and Longinus, the Centurion who confessed that “Surely this was the Son of God,” recognizing the divinity of Christ. This is interesting as most Crucifixion icons only show two men to the right. All the individuals at the foot of the Cross are depicted as saints.

The depiction of the city walls and gates of Jerusalem in the background is significant as Jesus was crucified “outside the gate.” According to Warzeski, "This is a reference to the scapegoat ritual during the Day of Atonement where the scapegoat carries the sins of the people outside the camp.” Warzeski continues, "This icon also shows the sun darkened and the moon colored red. These symbols echo the passage in Revelation 6:12-13 where the sun turned black and the moon turned red, which some believe echo events at the Cross during Christ’s death as recorded by the Evangelists. In Matthew 27:45, Mark 15:3, and Luke 23:44-45, the sun and the moon are described as darkening at the moment of Crucifixion, because the death of Jesus is a cosmic event." Expounding upon Golgotha, Warzeski states, "According to the Bible Jesus was buried at Golgotha, 'the place of the skull.' In Christian tradition that skull is the skull of Adam, who was also the first human being to die. Christ is called the second Adam by the Apostle Paul. Thus Jesus is being crucified directly over Adam’s tomb. Jesus is now replacing Adam as the New Adam, i.e. a new humanity."

Purportedly, this icon was used during target practice by the Red Army after 1918 during the period when it repressed the Russian Orthodox Church. The USSR was the first state to put forth as a principal objective of its official ideology the complete elimination of existing religion, as well as the prevention of any future establishment of religious belief, with the ultimate desired result being state atheism. The Bolsheviks engaged in much destruction of church property, and may well have taken some shots at icons like this example.

This icon was exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004) which presented highlights of one of the world's great artistic traditions through an extraordinary group of sixty-five 18th and 19th century Russian icons on loan from the private collection of Lilly and Francis Robicsek.

The “Windows Into Heaven” exhibition profiled a magnificent chapter of Russian artistry, the embrace of the Russian Orthodox faith of religious icons during the Romanov centuries. The Russian religious faith was an offshoot of Byzantine Christianity, which in 1054 parted ways from Roman Catholicism. Icons were and continue to be religious images created for veneration. As a focus for prayers and meditation for believers, icons serve as “windows into heaven.”

Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."

Provenance: ex-Francis and Lilly Robicsek collection, Charlotte, North Carolina USA; exhibited in "Windows Into Heaven: Russian Icons from the Lilly and Francis Robicsek Collection of Religious Art" at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (December 20, 2003 through February 22, 2004)

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#119614

Surface wear with scratches, losses, and bullet holes as shown. According to the previous owner, this icon purportedly was used during target practice by the Red Army during the period when it repressed the Russian Orthodox Church (see more in description). Back slats intact.