18th century on Roersma Iconpaintings

Mother God of the Sign

Sun, 07 Apr 2019 19:08:16 +0200

This icon belongs to one of the earliest depictions of Mary, the explanation is in Isaiah 7, verse 7-14. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Next to Mary’s halo are two cherubim. The primordial icon originated in Constantinopel, after the Christianization, this became the most important one in Novgorod.

Saint Nicholas

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:00:07 +0200

Saint Nicholas the miracle-worker from the Palech school. Saint Nicholas is depicted in all his finery. With his right hand he makes a gesture of blessing, and in his left hand he holds the Book of the Gospels. He is the patron saint of seamen, but also of the family and children.

Old Testament Trinity

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:49:14 +0200

This icon is also known as the Feast of Abraham. The original icon was donated by Abbot Simion of the Holy Trinity Monastery near Veliko Turnovo. This archetypal icon was painted in 1708 by the painters Kosta and Tsonyo.

Hagia Sophia

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:48:28 +0200

On this triptych the Wisdom of God (in Greek: ‘Hagia Sophia’) is personified in the image of a woman sitting on a throne. She has angel’s wings and holds a sceptre and staff in her hands.

To the left is the Mother of God with a diskos bearing the image of Christ Immanuel. To the right stands John the Precursor holding an open scroll in his hand. Above the Hagia Sophia is Christ Pantokrator, and above him six angels and an empty throne on which rests an evangeliary.

Mother of God Grusinskaya

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:43:34 +0200

The Gruzinskaya is virtually a mirror image of the Mother of God Jerusalimskaya.

It is probably a Byzantine replica of the latter, which was most recently found in Georgia where it was known as the Georgian or Iberian Mother of God. The oldest Gruzinskaya dates from around 1360 and was moved shortly afterwards to Moscow, where the replicas have become just as well loved as in Georgia.

Saint Theodora

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:36:14 +0200

In 830 AD Saint Theodora (born in 815) married the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus, who died twelve years later. In 842 she devoted herself to re-establishing the veneration of the icons at a Holy Synod in Nicaea. She died in a convent on 11 February 867 at the age of 52 years, The Orthodox Church declared her a saint.

Mother of God of the Passion

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:33:49 +0200

The Mother of God holds on her lap the Christ Child, who turns with a startled look to an angel holding a lance and a sponge. In the opposite corner is an angel bearing a cross. The baroque throne on which the Mother of God is seated is unique. The crown has been replaced by a headdress, as is often found in Southwest Russia where there was a clear Western influence.

Mother of God with Child

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 14:25:45 +0200

The original was a mosaic icon, which I photographed in a monastery church along the road to Sophia. Here it is a beautifully embellished tempera icon with the theme ‘Mother of God gesturing to the Christ Child’

Mother of God of Kykkos

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:19:17 +0200

According to tradition, the first icon of this type was painted by Saint Luke. A typical feature of this icon is the way the Christ Child sits on the left arm of his mother, turning his gaze away from her. The child presents an opened scroll showing an excerpt from Luke 4 verse 18 or from Isaiah 61 verse 1. The icon takes its name from the Kykkos monastery on Cyprus. The festival for this icon is celebrated on 26 December.

Saint George and the dragon

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:18:40 +0200

Saint George, on a rearing horse, brandishes his lance to slay the dragon lying on the ground.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:11:36 +0200

A Western theme, which was adopted in the 17th century by the Eastern Orthodox Church. It depicts the words of the old Simon who spoke to the Mother of God when she presented her son in the temple: ‘Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also’ (Luke 2:35). Seven white swords pierce her, representing the seven sorrows of Mary: the flight into Egypt, the prophecy in the temple, the twelve-year old Christ in the temple, the Crucifixion, the descent from the Cross, the burial, as well as the piercing of her soul.

Mother of God Grusinskaya

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:59:51 +0200

The Grusinskaya in mirror image is virtually identical to the Jerusalimskaya Mother of God. A Byzantine copy of the latter probably found its way to Georgia, where it was called the Georgian or Iberian Mother of God. The oldest Grusinskaya dates from around 1360, shortly after which it came to Moscow where the replicas were as much loved as in Georgia.

Saint Nicholas

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:59:02 +0200

Mother of God, the stone not hewn by man

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:52:02 +0200

This icon depicts an exceptionally unusual theme of the Mother of God, usually called ‘Gora Nerukosecnaja’, translated as ‘stone not hewn by man’. The name originates from the text of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 2 verse 31-35) in which he interprets a dream of king Nebuchadnezzar. Church fathers used the image for the incarnation of Christ and the virgin motherhood of Mary. The rock here is shown in front of the Mother of God’s breast. Above the rock spans a rainbow as a symbol of God’s covenant after the Flood with Noah (Gen. 9 verse 8-17).

Mother of God, Comforter of the afflicted

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:51:01 +0200

A rare depiction of the Mother of Christ with the Christ Child. An unusual feature is that Christ sits on the Mother of God’s left arm, and that she points to Christ as in the iconography of the Mother of God Hodegetria. She is crowned and wearing a pink veil with a blue lining, which the Christ Child touches. Virtually nothing is known about the origin and meaning of this icon.

Mother of God of the Burning Bush

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 19:45:00 +0200

The theme of this icon comes from Exodus 3, in which God orders Moses to lead his people out of Egypt to freedom. Each image and each text has an eschatological character, pointing to the things of the future, of eternity.

The Virgin with Child

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 13:12:39 +0100

This icon is probably derived from the Palech school. During the Tsarist regime, this picture was a very popular subject. The Orthodox icon type is easily recognized by the Virgin’s gesture, holding two fingers against her cheek. Christ is holding an opened parchment roll in his hand with the text: “Pass judgement in the last court with mercy and compassion.”

The Virgin with Child

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 13:10:08 +0100

The Virgin with Child (Our Lady of Sorrows)

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 13:03:20 +0100

This icon differs from the traditional Virgin icons in the colours it uses. The headdress is also different. The icon’s origin is unknown

The Holy Hierarchy

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:58:32 +0100

To the left in the foreground are the patriarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostomos. To the right in the foreground are the holy healers Cosmos and Damianus. To the left and right at the top are the holy warriors Gregory and Demitrius, and in the centre at the top is the Mandylion.

St. Nicholas with Scenes from his life

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:57:58 +0100

In the middle St. Nicholas is depicted in all his finery. His right hand makes a gesture of blessing and his left hand holds the book of the Gospels. On the left panel the young St. Nicholas heals the arm of a woman. Underneath his baptism is depicted and he is already preaching a sermon. At the top of the right panel the young St. Nicholas is taught by his uncle. Underneath he is preventing the execution of three citizens of Mira.

The Circumcision of Christ

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:46:34 +0100

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the circumcision of Christ on the 1st of January. Icons with this theme are quite rare, and the origin of this one is St. Petersburg. In the Bible, only the evangelist Luke describes this event. Luke 2:21