The Holy Mandylion

The artwork presents the iconographic type of the Holy Face (Mandylion), which belongs to the oldest canonical images in sacred art. The narrative unfolds within an elongated horizontal space, symmetrically divided into three zones. The central part of the work is occupied by a white cloth (mandylion), the edges of which cascade downwards in smooth lines, forming soft, plastic folds. Depicted on the cloth is the frontal face of Christ, encircled by a round nimbus with a cruciform ornament and Greek letters indicating Christ's divine nature – "He Who Is". The Saviour's face is distinguished by a calm, focused, and contemplative expression. The dark hair, parted down the middle, falls in soft tresses, framing the face and merging with a short, neat beard. Large, expressive, and accentuating almond-shaped eyes look directly at the viewer, creating an effect of prayerful contact.
On either side, two frontal, full-length figures of angels are depicted holding the cloth with the image of Christ's face. Their wings are outspread, their heads are encircled by halos, and their facial expressions are filled with reverence and awe. The icon of the Holy Face is an exemplar of Ukrainian sacred art, harmoniously combining the strictness of the Byzantine canon with Western European Baroque influences – namely, the plastic modelling of the saint's face, soft chiaroscuro, and the lightness of the angels' movements.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery