North Russia
Provenance: Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, Lyadiny, Kargopole District, Arkhangelsk Region

The main iconographic type of Jesus Christ, the image of Christ the Almighty (Pantocrator) is often encountered in Greek and Old Russian art. Icons of Christ the Almighty appeared in the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Moscow Kremlin in the fourteenth century, rapidly spreading to other leading churches. Such icons were accompanied by inscriptions calling Jesus the King of Glory. This particular work underscores the image of Christ as a King who will return to earth and judge mankind on the Day of Wrath. The image combines solemnity and naivety. Christ s austere gaze is directed straight ahead. His broad countenance is energetically modelled in dark-brown ochres; dense locks of shoulder-length hair hang down in thick curls. The rich and bright tones of red, white and blue in the halo and the thick white brushstrokes in imitation of the pearls used to decorate icons in northern Russia betray a provincial master. The icon can be easily imagined inside one of the wooden churches dotting the endless expanses of northern Russia. The square-like board, laconic drawing, generalised forms and expressive painting impart a sense of monumentality and solemnity.