The Icon Prophet Elijah In The Desert With Life And Deesis of the Late 12th – Early 13th Centuries: Features of Iconography and Attribution

Abstract

The icon Prophet Elijah in the Desert with Life and Devotion of the late 12th – early 13th century from the village of Vybuty near Pskov is the oldest living icon of the Kyivan Rus. The close connection of the icon with ancient Byzantine traditions is indicated by its unusual composition, where the author combines the images of Elijah in the center of the icon, the scenes from his life are on both sides and below, and above there are prayers with angels and apostles. In the scholars’ opinion, this rare plot combination is inspired by an ancient tradition – the icons are placed on the architrave of the altar partition on a similar principle in Byzantine temples. There is a very significant parallel for the structural construction of the monument – the arrangement of the fresco painting of the deaconicon of the Church of the Assumption (1252) in Morača (Montenegro), which is similar to a separate small church devoted to the prophet Elijah. The stylistic analysis of the monument and the Byzantine tradition of reproduction of ancient single images of the saints in the center of life icons makes it possible to suggest that the image borrowed from a monumental painting of a Sinai temple is reproduced in the center of the icon under study. Today it is impossible to find and determine with certainty an early Byzantine image of the prophet Elijah, which can be considered as a certain unit of reference for the following iconographic and artistic incarnations. However, it is well known that the most important role in the spread of Byzantine icons in the lands of Rus belongs to Kyiv. Greek icons have been transported from the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery to other principalities. Often the artists have been invited to the northern principalities. Another important factor is the existence in Kiev of the ancient Elijah’s Church, where there were undoubtedly early Byzantine icons of the prophet. The first mention (dated 944) of the church is found in the work of Nestor the Chronicler The Tale of Bygone Years. The iconographic and stylistic analyses of the monument give reasons to suppose that the studied icon reproduces early Byzantine traditions, borrowed directly from one or another imported monument or its interpretation in Kyiv art of pre-Mongolian times.