In the centre of the panel the Archangel Michael is shown upon a red horse with red wings. Michael’s face is also red. He is clothed in golden armour, wearing...
In the centre of the panel the Archangel Michael is shown upon a red horse
with red wings. Michael’s face is also red. He is clothed in golden armour,
wearing a crown and blowing on a trumpet. He holds a rainbow above his head,
along with a closed Gospel in his right hand. His left hand holds a lance with
which he is pinning down Satan in a dark abyss. The destruction of a city –
representing Babylon, the ‘world’ (cf. Rev. 18:21) - can also be seen in the
darkness, with buildings collapsing in flames. The iconography derives from a
number of sources, but the main text is Revelation 12:7-12, In the top left
corner we see a youthful Christ Emmanuel (Logos) surrounded by clouds
symbolising the celestial sphere. Before him is a throne (hetoimaisia)
with a Gospel and a Cross. The icon thus depicts the decisive eschatological
battle against Evil.
The reforms of the Russian Patriarch
Nikon in 1653, aiming to unify Greek and Russian church practices caused
a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church. The Old
Believers, as they came to be known, could not accept the changes and formed a
separate church. They were known for their ultra conservative views and were
much persecuted. Many went into exile. Today, their importance is recognised for
having preserved the antiquity of icons. Many ancient works were saved and
restored by them. Icons from their workshops avoided any innovation.
We read in Benchev ‘From the 17th century a
new imagery appears in Russian iconography: the Archangel Michael presented as
a crowned prince of all angels, the great warrior and the conqueror of the
devil’.[1] However, while this form of depicting the Archangel
Michael became popular in the 17th century, some Russian art
historians and theologians consider that the subject originates in the 1550s.[2] The theme is discussed
further in a Russian catalogue.[3] There it is thought that
the iconography in this form appears only in the second half of the 17th
century during the dramatic church reforms of the time. These
provoked in the populace a dread of the imminent end of the world.
What makes the present icon distinguishable is the orderly composition of
all the symbolic elements with no distracting detail. The colours are
symbolical: gold associated with holiness and splendour of the knight, red with
life and sacrifice and black with the dark forces of the devil. The composition
is finely balanced and symmetrical with Michael placed on the central axis of
the picture plane. The icon is precious not only for the inspired execution but
also for its subject matter profoundly associated with Old Believers.
[1] Ivan Benchev Icons of Angels, Interbook, 2005, p. 91