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Hellenic Sages

Exposición 31 de marzo − 4 de junio 2023
In the medieval art of Byzantium and Western Europe a special theme can be traced - the depiction of ancient sages who proclaimed Christ along with the biblical prophets. The wisdom given to the pagans before the coming of Christ was also seen as part of divine revelation. In the 16th century this subject was widespread in the temples of Greece and the Principality of Moldavia, as well as in Russia in the decoration of the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin. In the Petrine era, images of sages began to be included in iconostases under local icons. Among them are both real historical figures - philosophers and writers, and mythical characters and even Greek gods understood as ancient heroes. The exhibition presents three rare images of Hellenic sages of the early XVIII century from the wooden Church of the Resurrection of Seltz-Karelia in Udomlya District of the Tver Region: the Roman poet Virgil, the ancient Olympian god Zeus, called in Slavic language Dium, and the Athenian ruler Solon. Two of these were rescued by the expedition of the Andrei Rublev Museum and are kept in its collection. The third surviving image was recently discovered and entered a private collection.

The curator of the exhibition is A.L. Gulmanov, deputy head of the research department of the Andrei Rublev Museum.