Shroud (Christ in the Tomb)

The iconographic image of Christ from the Zhydachiv region is associated with Easter ritual symbolism. On Good Friday, Christians traditionally go around the temple carrying a shroud – an image of Christ lying in the tomb. After the procession, the shroud is placed in the church, where it remains for a while. Since the sixteenth century, the shroud has become an obligatory attribute of worship. The most common are pictorial or embroidered images, but there are also carved from wood, the laconic plot of which has minor differences in iconography. The three-dimensional wooden shroud, following iconography, depicts the carved dead body of Jesus on a low stand with traces of nailing to the cross and a deep wound from a spear. His head is barely bowed to his right shoulder; his left arm lies on his stomach, and his right one is extended along his body. The elongated figure of Christ is made of a single piece of wood. Having imperfect knowledge of the anatomy of the human body, the folk master depicts broad shoulders turning into thin hands with massive palms, wedge-shaped flat feet, and a schematically defined chest with clear parallel horizontal lines imitating ribs, outlining a sunken abdominal cavity. The face of Christ is characterised by features untypical of the national type. An oval face with a massive chin emphasises the light carnation of the body; his face is outlined with a short beard and framed with straight strands of dark hair. The eyes of Christ are large, almond-shaped, with bulging eyelids and a drooping outer corner. The lifeless image of the Savior enhances the wide mouth and straight nose with dilated nostrils under low brow ridges. A long loincloth that covers the hips and falls below the knees is modelled by shallow carved lines that randomly cover the entire surface without repeating the outlines of the body.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery