Athonite iconography and its character

Athos churches are decorated with icons and wall paintings. Icons are placed in the iconostasis, on church pillars, on the abbot’s place and on the sides of the church on lecterns. In the iconostasis, the icons are located in the same way as in our churches, although often the church icon does not stand next to the Savior, like ours, but behind the right altar pillar. As for the placement of images on the walls, which are decorated with them from top to bottom, in the churches of Mount Athos there is a more or less definite order 1 . In the lower tier of the churches themselves, somewhat higher than the monastic stasidia, are mostly martyrs with the attributes of their martyrdom 2. Along the line of the same tier in the altar are depicted saints and mainly creators of liturgies, often holding scrolls with liturgical prayers in their hands 3 . The next tier is occupied by images of the twelve feasts, of which the Annunciation is written mostly on the eastern wall above the iconostasis, and the Dormition of the Mother of God is almost always on the rear western wall. Under this last image there is sometimes an image of a waking eye 4. In the altar, on a high place, the Mother of God is depicted either with the Infant God at her virgin breasts, or with two angels on her sides. Below, under it (for example, in Protatsky, Khilandersky and other churches) the Savior is depicted, on the right side, teaching His most pure Body to the apostles, approaching one after another, and on the left, teaching His most pure Blood in the same way. Similar images are found in the Lavra of St. Athanasius, but with the addition of angels making a great exit. This picture is sometimes (Iver, Vatoped, etc.) depicted in the neck of the dome. In the third tier on the arches and vaults of the church, the images are varied in their subjects. For the most part, on the right side, events from the earthly life of the Savior in the first years of his life on earth are depicted, and on the left side - the events of His last days. The dome depicts the Old Testament forefathers and prophets in circles 5, and in the sky of the dome or the Lord of Hosts with an open Gospel in his hands (Vatoped) with the words: “This is My beloved Son,” or the Savior blessing with one hand and holding the Gospel (laurel) with the other, or the Mother of God with outstretched arms (Zograph and Kostamolite). The Lord of hosts is rarely written and is depicted as an old man with a radiance all around with a cross and the letters o ων 6. In the inner narphix, on the wall separating the vestibule from the church, on the right side is depicted the Lord Almighty sitting on a throne, and on the left side the Mother of God with the eternal Child of God, also sitting on a throne. The walls of the narphix closest to the monastic stasidia are decorated with images of saints, confessors, virgins and ascetics, and the upper walls with paintings from the Gospel story. The outer porch or porch is decorated with paintings of praise, the Last Judgment and portraits of ktitors - emperors and benefactors of churches. Pagan philosophers and Roman Sibyls write here with sayings that are close in spirit to Christian teaching. The paintings of the Epiphany are distinguished by greater freedom of artistic creativity. In the center of the dome, he describes a similar picture in the porch of the Lavra of St. Afanasia O. Archimandrite Antoninus is depicted in a rainbow circle as the “Pantocrator”, i.e. Jesus Christ, holding the closed Gospel in his chest, and stretching his right hand, as if ahead of Himself, with an open hand. In the first belt, around the Savior, 9 ranks of angels are represented in separate groups. The next thin belt contains the signs of the zodiac. Even lower, in a wide strip directly descending onto the cornice (a dome without windows), the praise of the Most High by the earth and earthly creatures appears. This kind of representation: Elder David stands directly in the east with a harp. To the right of him, a young man and three maidens, dressed in oriental style, but with open faces, are dancing, holding hands, in front of some building to the sounds of flutes and drums coming from the embrasures of the wall of the said building, near which one can see someone’s statue on a column, or maybe an idol. To the left of David the face of the monks is carried by the Church of Zion, behind it (all going towards the sun) the prophetic face is depicted; then, facing one another, groups of elders and young people (i.e. young people); then - boys and girls; then - the king and the judge of the zemstia - the latter are presented in the strangest clothes, especially headdresses. Then follow all kinds of animals, including the satyr, the siren, and the hippocentaur. Further - trees, mountains, a stormy spirit (in the form of an angel surrounded by a white star, composed of two squares, kneeling and blowing), ice, snow, hail, fire. Then, adjacent to the mentioned chorus of maidens, the last image: ἐκ τῆς γῆς δράκοντεσ - represents snakes, crocodiles and all sorts of monsters with many heads and many tails. Below all this, along the cornice of the dome, the saints are located in small circles. 40 martyrs. Even lower, in four domed canopies, Sts. are depicted to the east. hymn writers Cosmas and John (Damascenes), sitting at a desk, the details of which, as well as the clothes of Sts. writers denounce in the painter great ingenuity and freedom, and to the west there are a bunch of faces in explanation of the verses of the psalm: “kings shall bind their fetters and their glorious hands with iron shackles, and the lift of God in their throats, and sharp swords in their hands” 7 The current Athos icon painting dates back to its origin no earlier than the 16th century. The only exceptions are the Vatopedi Church, painted in 1312, and one of the paraklisis of the monastery of St. Paul, painted in 1393. 8 Icon painting appeared here and developed, thanks to the difficult political circumstances in which the Orthodox Greek population of the then vast and powerful Ottoman Empire found itself at that time. Fanaticism and persecution of Christians on the part of the Turkish sultans, the successors of Murad II, and their closest collaborators, forced the true zealots of Orthodoxy, piety and strictly ascetic life to seek shelter for themselves under the hospitable shelter of the Svyatogorsk monasteries, placed in a happy exceptional position in the Ottoman Empire. Here are these new residents of St. the mountains should soon have discovered their talents and abilities, since, according to the long-established beautiful custom of Athonite monasticism, all these persons are obliged, along with spiritual feats, to carry out feats of obedience, to serve with the labor of their hands to the prosperity of their throwing 9. Engaging in icon painting, as a mandatory obedience for those knowledgeable in this matter, could well correspond to their sincere heartfelt desire and disposition towards constant contemplation of God; it gave them the opportunity to apply their strengths and abilities in practice and even develop them to the possible degree of perfection, since here on Athos there were all favorable conditions for this, thanks to the freedom of Christian worship granted to him. Numerous churches of the monasteries and monasteries of Mount Athos gave these newcomers complete scope for activity. In the 16th and early 17th centuries, people of different origins, people from different regions and places of the Turkish Empire and other states, worked almost simultaneously on Mount Athos. Most of the painters, of course, were from Byzantium, but alongside them worked the “notorious” Panselin from Thessaloniki (in Protata, Hilandar, etc.), monk Theophanes with his son Simeon from Crete (in the monastery, Stavronikita and Xenof), Fralg from Biotia (in the monastery, in the Nikolsky chapel), hieromonk Mark from Georgia (in Iver), hieromonk Anthony from Moldavia (in Dionyssata) and many other icon painters. Hence, it is clear that there can be no talk of a special school of Athonite icon painting at this time, or of its originality. Here the painting was, one might say, advanced and very diverse in manner and style of writing. Its dominant character was undeniably Byzantine and bore all the features that distinguished this painting in later times, starting from the 11th century, “when, according to our expert on Byzantine painting, Prof. N. Kondakov of Odessa University, the development of iconography finally ceases and everything that follows is just a poor variant on the agreed upon theme” 10. Dogmatism and symbolism, together with personification, are the qualities that primarily characterize the painting of Athos. In accordance with the decrees of the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 788, the Savior is depicted here on the icons either as a ruler of the world, a ruler, sitting on the Throne with an orb in one hand, and folding his left hand for blessing, or as a high priest, dressed in a baptized sakkos and an omophorion with the Gospel opened in the words: “I am the good shepherd” in one hand, and folded the other name-namely for blessing, then, finally, like a prophet or teacher with the Gospel in his hands, open in the words “learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.” The Mother of God is depicted in royal majesty, sitting on a throne and with the Infant God in her arms, who folded his fingers for blessing. Her head is decorated with a crown, and around it is a halo with the inscription MR FY. Martyrs, prophets, righteous people, etc. are written with bright faces directed towards the sky. Their heads are crowned with halos, and they themselves are surrounded by instruments of suffering exploits on earth. Curly curls, intertwined with pale pink ribbons, at the ears of angels in deacon's surplices 11 are symbols of their heavenly beauty and ability to always hear the prayers of people; fiery phials on the heads of the prophets are symbols of the grace abundantly poured out on them; John the Baptist's wings are a sign of his embassy in the face of the Savior to prepare people for His acceptance, etc., etc. We see similar symbolism when the artist tries to personify inanimate objects. These personifications in Athonite iconography are sometimes quite successful and deserve the researcher’s attention. As an example, we will give here a description of Rev. Porfiry of one icon in the Iveron Monastery. The Mother of God sits on the throne; above it is the sky and stars, below them are angels, even lower, on the right, are shepherds, on the left are the wise men; even lower, on the right, our land in the form of a woman in a hat offers a cave to the Mother of God, and on the left the desert in the form of a woman with an open head offers a manger; Below, kings, bishops and people magnify the Mother of God. Above each of these groups is inscribed: Οἱ οὐρανοί τὀν ἀστέρα Heaven star Οἱ άγγελοι τὀν ιίμνον Angels song Οἱ ποιμένες τὀ θαομα Shepherds surprise Οἱ μάγοι τά δώρα Ἡ μεῖς δέ μητέρα Παρθένον But next to the features of Athonite icon painting that we mentioned, we see here in the 16th and 17th centuries the manifestation of freedom of artistic creativity, which primarily affected the creation of new subjects unknown in Byzantine iconography. The icon Ή θεία λειτουργία undoubtedly belongs to such subjects. This plot was developed to the smallest detail in Athonite iconography and was depicted not only on the walls of the altar and church, but even on individual icons. The most interesting example of such icons is the icon from the collection of Rev. Porphyria, kept in the church. Archaeological Museum at the Kyiv Theological Academy under No. 35 13. This icon represents a great exit, where the persons participating are, in accordance with the church song: “Let all human flesh be silent,” the words of which are written in sections on the icon itself. At the very exit place, two angels are depicted with censers, behind them two with cups in the form of palms, then three on each side with lit lamps (candles on candlesticks), behind them, to the left of the viewer, one angel with a paten covered with air on his head, bowing to the Savior accepting this paten, then an angel with a cup without air, behind him an angel, folding his arms crosswise on his chest, holds in both hands According to the lie, the next two angels in their hands folded on their chests have nothing. Their heads are decorated with tiaras in the form of hoops with pendants to them. To the right are four angels in red crowns, reminiscent of the crown of a monomach. At the top, angels carry a shroud with the inscription: ὕ μ νός ἐπιτάφιος ἀμνού λόγου. Two angels in front and two angels behind walk with ripids, three angels on each side with candles. One angel with two eight-pointed large crosses, and the other with a book opened in the words: Βασιλεύων βασιλευόντων. All five angels wear shiny, curved helmets. The shroud is carried by two angels in deacon's surplices, girded with cross-shaped orarions, and one angel in a phelonion and stole, while the face of the fourth is hidden and only one crown is visible. In the middle there is a Throne, covered with a shroud, on which lies an open book with the words: ὁ τρύγων μου τὴς σάρκα καἰ πίνων. Behind the throne are depicted the Thrones (one of the nine faces of angels) in the form of circles with wings on four sides and on them sits the Savior to the left of the viewer in the baptized sakkos and omophorion, receiving St. a paten from the head of one of the angels, and to the right is God the Father in the form of a cheerful old man with one hand folded for a nominal blessing, and in the other with a scepter. At the top between them is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, surrounded by a halo of thick gilding with the inscription: ἡ ἁ γ ί α Τρ ί ας. At the bottom of the icon are depicted fallen prostrate - a young man and woman. Further, the same freedom of artistic creativity is manifested in the desire to convey abstract ideas in concrete images. Such, for example, is icon 14 in the Iveron Church on the text of the Apostle Paul: “When (God) introduces the Firstborn into the universe, he says, let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6). The two archangels Michael and Gabriel hold the half-length image of Emmanuel, drawn in a circle signifying the Universe, represented here behind as two squares. Emmanuel is depicted with a scroll in one hand and a naming blessing in the other. Behind the archangels Michael and Gabriel there are three angels, but their faces are visible with staffs in their hands; four angels are watching from behind them; above these five angels look; in the fifth and back row four angels speak, in the sixth three and in the seventh two. The artist had to have a lot of ingenuity to paint the angelic ranks 15; thrones, seraphim and tetramorphon of the prophet Ezekiel, reminiscent of the four evangelists 16. Freedom and some naturalism constitute the property of the icon of the Baptism of the Lord. The Jordan is filled with many fish and dolphins. There are many bathing and floating people in it, some of whom usually swim, others on their backs, others take off their shirts, others put them on after swimming, etc., etc. This picture is found very often on Athos 17. As for the technical techniques, the style of writing of the Athonite zographs, in this regard Byzantium had already given them a clearly developed code of rules and techniques that they had to follow. These techniques were also developed in the 11th-12th centuries. 18 Athonite zographs, deeply imbued with the ideal of strict asceticism, only greatly increased the density of face paints in order to give the figures they depicted a bony, lean and fasting expression. Because of this, based on the very natural desire of the Athonite ascetic zographs, from under their brushes came icons that our pilgrim Grigorovich-Barsky so successfully called “terribly gloomy” and with many irregularities against nature, to which the Athonite painters did not pay any attention, outlining the figures with lines and hiding them under thick layers of darkish paint. In coloring the figures, the Athonite zographs also used more or less specific colors or paints: white for the face, yellow for the lower clothes, blue and crimson for the outer clothes of the Savior and the Mother of God, darkish for the same for saints and especially reverends. Let us point out, as an example, the icons of the Lavra Cathedral, described by Rev. Porfiry. “On the local icon of the Savior,” he says, “thick hair with a parting over the forehead, nutty, reddish in color, thrown over the back; the forehead is open; the eyes are sharp; the eyebrows are arched; the nose is straight; the cheeks are shaded thickly, and therefore the face seems narrow and strictly lean; the lips are small, compressed and protruding, as if they were holding something back with protruding lips; the neck is thick; the tunic is raspberry-colored, and the upper tunic is blue with a greenish tint; the right sleeve of the raspberry at the shoulder is stitched with gold; with his right hand Christ blesses, as a bishop, that is, nominally, and with his hand he holds the open Gospel, in which it is written in Greek: “Come to me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.” etc. The local icon of the Mother of God is not pretty. Her forehead is covered with an omophorion; the eyes are almond-shaped, and their expression is strict, even stern and unpleasant; the eyelids of the eyes, both sides of the face near the nose, and the edges of the cheeks near the ears are shaded too thickly; the nose is straight and curved down at the end; on the omophorion two stars and words are visible near the right hand: ἐν ἱματίσμ ῳ διαχρύσ ῳ περιβδβλημένη πεπικοιλμένη, i.e. i.e. clothed in gold-plated clothing, speckled; the divine Child looks at her sternly beyond her age; the hair on his head is nut-colored; the forehead is large; eyes and eyebrows are black; both sides of the cheeks are densely shaded; the mouth is small and good; the snot on it is blue, and the chiton is crimson; all these clothes are painted with gold stripes; with His right hand He blesses as the Almighty, and not as a bishop; in the shuyts he holds a scroll of the destinies of the world; there is no resemblance to Mother. The background of this icon is covered with a chased chasuble, on the outskirts of which chased images are visible: and the entire chase is made up of painted flowers in circles 19 . This order in the placement of iconographic images was determined entirely by the instructions that existed on this subject in “Herminia” or manuals for the art of painting (Trud. Kyiv. spirit. Academician. 1867, vol. III, pp. 139–192; vol. IV, pp. 470–507; 1868, vol. I, pp. 269–315, 526–570; vol. II, pp. 494–563 et al.). In the book “On the Art of Painting,” St. Daniel is instructed to write the following martyrs: St. George the Victorious, St. Demetrius (Grand Duke?), Theodore Stratelates, Theodore Tyrone, Procopius, Mercury, Minus, Eustathius, Agathonicus, Nestor, Luppus and Sebastian (Trud. Kyiv. spirit. Acad. 1867, vol. IV, p. 477). According to the book of the same priest. Daniel, the images in the altar are placed in this way: in its eastern recess: the Mother of God, Broader of Heaven. In the recess of the altar: Ό ΜΕΛΙΣΜΟΣ = pr ο sk ο mussel. Here, according to the code, as in the fraternal meal, if you want, write the following verses: “Truly I am the living bread and the light of the world.” “Come, be enlightened and be satisfied with Me.” In the eastern semicircle of the altar the saints are written as follows: St. Basil with the words on the charter: “God, our God, Heavenly Bread, Food for the whole world, our Lord and God Jesus Christ sent down”; – Gregory the Theologian: “Holy God, who resteth among the saints”; – John Chrysostom: “No one is worthy of those bound by carnal lusts”; – St. Athanasius: “A lot about our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady, Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary”; – St. Kirill: “Once again and again we bow down to You and pray to You”; – St. Gregory of Nyssa: “Bless you who bless You, O Lord.” And other saints, uttering other prayers and exclamations. In the sacrificial section of the altar: St. Stephen the First Martyr, Goman the Sweet Singer, Nicholas, Spyridon, Peter of Alexandria, saying to Christ: “Who is Your tunic, O Savior, discord?” Christ answers him: “all-evil Arius, Peter!” St. Simeon the Stylite and Daniel the Stylite (Ibid. pp. 470–471). This image represents the Youth of the Savior sleeping on the cross with his eye open in view of the vigilant supervision of His Most Pure Mother over Him. According to the guide. „About painting. Art” by priest. Daniel depicted in circles: St. Polycarp, Ignatius the God-Bearer, Sylvester, Eleutherius, Cyril, Achillius, Parthenius, Clement, Agathangel, Blasius, Vukol holding a young man in his hands. The unmercenaries Panteleimon, Ermolai, Cozma, Damian, Cyrus, John, Sampson, Diomede, Falaley and Tryphon. Sergius, Bacchus, Christopher, Eugene, Auxentius, Eustratius, Mardarius, Orestes, Uina, Victor, Vincentius, Akindinus, Pigasius, Atheonius, Elpidiphoros, Anempodistus, Ananias, Azariah, Misail, Kirik, Iulita, Marina, Kyriaca, Barbara, Paraskeva the Wonderworker, Thekla the First Martyr, Catherine, Irina, Myrrh-streaming Theodora, Mary Magdalene and Anna (Trud. Kyiv. spirit. Academician 1867, vol. IV, p. 470). In the ancient Protat Church, the placement of icon painting on the walls is somewhat different. According to the description of Archimandrite Fr. Antonina, all the internal walls and arches in the spans throughout the entire space of the church are covered with sacred images in the side compartments in three, and on average four tiers. The first (bottom) row consists of separate life-size images of saints - in the church itself of martyrs and saints, and in the altar - saints. The second tier is also mostly occupied by individual images - the evangelists, apostles and martyrs inside the church, and in the altar - events from the life of the Lord. The third tier is dedicated to the memory of the Gospel events, with the exception of the four corner sections, where rows of martyrs rise to the very ceiling (some even go beyond the ceiling). The fourth tier is located on the walls of the middle part of the church, more elevated than the side ones, and represents a series of Old Testament forefathers from Adam to Joseph the Betrothed inclusive. Starting in the south-eastern corner of the altar, it encircles the entire church and ends in the north-eastern corner of the same altar. The images are life-size and full-length, but over large spans due to lack of space they are reduced to busts. The Old Testament saints are also depicted along the arcs of large spans (this is the best preserved mural of the church). Among all the individual images, only one is found that is female - the foremother Eve - and then at such a height that it is almost indistinguishable. Meanwhile, the pictures from the gospel history are naturally filled with women’s faces. But they are at their best. This, of course, was not done without calculation (Note. bow, Holy Mountain pp. 111–112). Note. bow, St. mountains. page 195. In saying this, we do not at all want to assert that after the Vatopedi and Pavlovian murals, as the Rev. thinks. Porfiry, “not a single Svyatogorsk monastery painted its sanctuaries until 1526” (Read in the general lyub. spiritual enlightenment of 1884, book III, p. 217), because this would, in our opinion, not be in the order of things of that time. The influence of Byzantium, where churches were decorated with brilliant mosaics and beautiful frescoes, could not but have an impact on neighboring Athos, which constantly had patrons and patrons from the imperial house, who generously decorated the churches of Constantinople and other places with murals. It is impossible that these royal benefactors would ignore the monasteries of Mount Athos. Proof of this can be seen partly in the current churches of the east and the St. Paul Monastery, where the painting “one of the best on the holy mountain” is still preserved (Note of the veneration of the holy mountain, p. 88). According to the same traveler, in the same church there were many icons and “some kings and ktitors were also planted with musiya, but they were very blackened and dilapidated.” Consequently, this church was decorated in the taste of its time and quite brilliantly. It cannot be further that this example remains on Athos without being imitated in other monasteries. The political circumstances of this time not only did not impede the development and even the prosperity of art, just as they did not impede it later, when Byzantium fell and difficult times came for the Greeks, but on the contrary, they contributed to this, thanks to the generosity of the Byzantine emperors, as can be seen from the chronicle of events on Athos at the same time (First travel to Athos, part I, section I, p. 176). As for the fact that to this day no paintings of ancient times have been preserved, except for the mentioned churches, then in explanation of this it is necessary to point out the frequent fires and earthquakes that destroyed buildings on Athos, the raids of pirates who devastated monasteries in the hope of rich booty (Read in the general love spiritual enlightenment 1883, book XII, p. 410), and most importantly, later amendments to the churches and their painting again with painting, indicating the time of this new painting with icons, which gave rise to the thought of the Reverend. Porfiry that other monasteries until the 16th century were not painted with icons. The word: μετανοία is very common on Athos and means a monastery in which one or another monk makes a bow (throwing) to the abbot or the cathedral elders about his acceptance into the monastery. “Such a rapid completion of artistic activity, according to the professor, could not, of course, be achieved if it had not been facilitated by placing it in special, unprecedented conditions in the history of art: it chose the most definite and limited content; sanctioned forms of artistic composition satisfied all kinds of cases; a certain number of selected iconographic types were relied on for the figurative reproduction of the Gospel and Biblical fact, and an instructive and practical goal, which ruled everything, demanded that in the figures there should be a reflection of the faces of angels, prophets and saints; the ideal here served as a lining and background for the real - the order reversed to the natural; the craft eliminated the artist and turned him into a skilled craftsman who only needs a minutely faithful translation of the plot in order to reproduce it in enamel: no one will ask him for new thoughts and forms, because in this monumental and precious kind. painting represents only everything canonized. The unanimous desire for typicality, for sanctified forms caused depersonalization and gave the works themselves the character of ordinaryness, radical deadness; these are not figures, but their diagrams, not human bodies themselves, but their ghostly appearances. It’s not that Byzantine art sought, as they say, to give its images exclusively the expression of the non-carnal, heavenly and therefore disfigured life forms: this is contradicted by the attachment to light colors, luxury and graceful figures of ancient personifications, but the artisanal distortion of this ideality is what was the cause of the internal decline of art” (Historical Byzantine art and iconography by miniature Greek RKP. Odessa 1876, pp. 140–141). See the picture in the book by Rev. Porphyria. First journey. according to Athos book. I, dept. II, p. 185. Let's go. first to Athos. mon. and monasteries, part I, dept. II, p. 188. It was written by the hand of Nicholas of Crete (Χειρ εγραύεν Νικολάου τοδ Κρητός), commissioned by Hieromonk Gabriel (Δέηοις τοδ at the end XVII century. The basis for this is the fact that Hieromonk Gabriel bought a cell in Kareya in honor of all saints from the Karikalsky monastery only in 1681 (Read in the general love spiritual enlightenment 1884, book III, p. 229), and painted it with iconography undoubtedly later than this time. A copy of this icon was printed by Rev. Porphyria, first travel according to Athos book. I, dept. II, p. 185. In Erminia Dionysius Furnoagrafiot 1701-1733 regarding the image of the ranks of angels it is said: "The thrones are depicted as fiery wheels with many wings around, inserted one into the other and forming, as it were, a royal throne. And cherubim are written in the form of one head with two wings; seraphim - with six wings, of which two cover their faces, with two legs, and in their two hands they hold rhipids with the words: Holy, Holy, Holy. This is how the prophet Isaiah saw them (chapter 6) is depicted like this: a six-winged angel with a crown around his head holds the Gospel with both hands on his chest. also near the shoulder is an ox. These animals look up, and with their claws and feet they hold the Gospel. This is how the prophet Ezekiel saw them (Ch. 1868, vol. I, pp. 526–527). Drawing, by Rev. Porphyria, first travel on Mount Athos, part I, dept. II, pp. 186–187. An excellent example of oriental icons on this subject can be considered the icon of our church-architect. music under No. 23, which came from the collection of oriental icons of Rev. Porfiry Uspensky (See the description of this icon in the article by Prof. Petrov. Works. Kiev spirit. Academician. 1886, book 10). All types of Byzantine art in this period, says prof. Kondaks, both clearly reduced to one national one, also constitute the development and varieties of one character or phenomenon. Tall growth, combined with a proportional build, some length in the extremities and, with a tendency toward thinness, broad bones and massiveness; a small head on a long thin neck; a wide and low forehead, at times reminiscent of a fanatic or a heavy pedant. The frontal bone hangs over the eyes, which are deep and widely spaced, forming a deep, characteristic bridge on the bridge of the nose and enhancing the dark sparkle of the large eyes; a long thin and straight nose, sometimes curved at the end (an admixture of the eastern type, especially Armenian and Persian), almost rests on a dry small mouth, reinforcing the character of the mental type developed by centuries of culture, and not formed by physical mixing alone; a strongly protruding chin and angular oval lines are distinguished by a callous character; in young faces, fullness turns into swelling, and in older ones we find sharp thinness and general dryness of the body, especially capable of portraying a stern ascetic. This sharpness of features, although it expresses the spirituality of the type, was as much a tribal trait as it was developed by art and constituted a precious property of the style; The simplicity, clarity and sharp definiteness of this type made it easy to assimilate in workshops of all countries and always gave a ready-made form into the hands. It is also clear that through this hardened typicality, all study of the nature and types of living things disappeared, and that its invasion in the 18th century. was already the result of the final fall of art. At the same time, this typicality greatly damaged iconography, interrupting its activity in the most vital sphere: from now on, all saints are painted with almost the same face and have the same figure, and all their differences are reduced to signs like hair, beard, etc., which do not give individuality and are now forgotten. The only exceptions are the previously established types of Jesus Christ, the apostles and evangelists, the Mother of God, the images of saints: Basil, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, etc. Finally, iconographic types turn into a conventional academic scheme, which can be easily described, but does not express anything; this scheme is divided into divisions, which we could call faces: angelic, prophetic, or biblical (he is also the type of John the Baptist), apostolic, Christ, etc.; the angelic type with abundant curly hair curling over the shoulders is used in the depiction of pious youths; all matrons look like St. Anna, and the young wives to the Mother of God; the type of Joseph serves to depict pious men, etc. The characterlessness or impersonality of the female type in the hands of the monk painter sometimes forces the use of the same youthful, angelic face to depict holy virgins and maidens in general; only occasionally does the actual type remind of itself, with a narrow and pale face, large eyes, a tiny mouth, reminiscent of the worn-out face of Theodora, Justinian’s wife; It is curious that the mosaic of the altar dome of St. Mark in Venice reproduces precisely this type in the person of the woman-loving Solomon (Historical Byzantine Art, pp. 142–144). 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