Collection

Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary

Fedir from Vyshnia

Basic information

ID: Ж-4437
Author: Fedir from Vyshnia
Name: Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary
Date of creation: 1650
Technique: tempera painting embossing
Material: lime wood panel tempera gilding
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 100.5 x 98

Additionally

Type: icon
Genre: religious painting
Provenance: Expedition to the Lviv region
Exposition: Olesko Castle

Information about author

Author: Fedir from Vyshnia
Biography: Fedir was a painter from Sudova Vyshnia village. The icon painters of that artistic environment combined their professional skills with the improvisation of folk primitive artists, who diligently signed their works. The works by Fedir are mentioned in Boriatyn village (1650) and the village of Vereshchytsia (1650–1689). The icon "Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary" was painted by Fedir from Vyshnia.

Object description

Icons depicting the Dormition appeared in Ukraine in the 16th century. The composition of the icon is traditional, in its expanded version, which shows fantastic episodes of apocryphal stories, namely the so-called falling asleep in clouds, with the apostles, whom angels carry in the clouds to the burial of Virgin Mary, and with the unfaithful Athonios, whom the archangel Michael cut off his hands. Later Athonios received healing when he repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. The Virgin Mary depicted in the center of the icon lies on a funeral bier. She is dressed in a dark red omophorion and a blue tunic, which make the face painted in dark ochre colours even more dramatic. On both sides of the funeral bier, there are figures of the apostles. At the top of the icon, in an elongated arch formed of gray and blue clouds, there is the Virgin Orans. Below in the blue mandorla, there is Christ with the soul of Mary wrapped in swaddling clothes. The icon is completed by a six-winged seraphim. The haloes of the apostles, Christ, and the Virgin Mary are gilded. This icon belongs to the so-called blue style icon painting. It impresses the viewers with its unconventional coloring, given that a deep and transparent blue color may be found throughout the work. On the icon "Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary" by Fedir from Vyshnia, there is an inscription that has been preserved: "рок вжго ахн исписа сєй образ раб Фєдор маляр виш раву божому Василію Антиховичу міщанину вишєнському за отпущеніє грєхов". The icon comes from the village of Dmytrovychi in the Lviv region.

Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary

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