The Representation of Eve and Mary in Selected Russian Icons: Thirteenth to Seventeenth Century

The typological connection between Eve and Mary is shown in the symbolism in Russian icons. The Russian Orthodox Church understood Eve as a prefiguration of Mary, who was revered as the “New Eve”, whose obedience to God’s will reversed the sins of Eve, thus raising the status of Eve as well. The symbolism relating to Eve and Mary in Russian icons is evidence of how the Russian Orthodox Church understood Eve and Mary in relation to the salvation of humanity. Pasichnik's research examines the Descent into Hell, Dormition, Last Judgment, and Deacons' Door icons that best capture these eschatological aspects and the nexus between Eve and Mary. Front Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction Terms Places Dates Religious Terms Chapter Structure Chapter 1. Influences on Iconography 1.1 Historical Factors Influencing the Pool of Icons 1.2 Philosophical Factors 1.2.1 Neoplatonism 1.2.2 Hesychasm and Divine Light 1.3 Religious Influences: How the Church Saw Eve and Mary 1.3.1 The Fallen Eve and the Redeemed Eve 1.3.2 The New Eve 1.3.3 Mary’s Role in the Russian Church 1.4 Influences on Icon Genres 1.4.1 The Apocryphal Origins of the Descent into Hell and its Imagery 1.4.2 The Dormition Icons: Early Marian Piety in Byzantium 1.4.3 Reforms to Iconography: The Stoglav Council and Beyond Chapter 2. The Descent into Hell Icons 2.1 The Adaptation of Byzantine Style 2.2 The Icon Painting Schools 2.2.1 Early Novgorod 2.2.2 Pskov 2.2.3 Moscow 2.3 Mixed Messages in Eve 2.4 Dionisi 2.5 The Loss of Symbolism and Provincial Identity 2.5.1 The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 2.5.2 Yaroslavl Chapter 3. The Dormition Icons 3.1 The Forms of Dormition Imagery and Frescoes 3.2 The Byzantino-Russian Icons: Novgorod and Pskov 3.3 The Moscow School Dormition Icons 3.4 The Pskovian Dormition Icons 3.5 The Seventeenth-Century Dormition Icons Chapter 4. The New Genres of Icons 4.1 The Quadripartite 4.2 The Old Testament Trinity Icons 4.3 The Last Judgment Icons 4.4 The Deacons’ Doors Chapter 5. Conclusion 5.1 The Descent into Hell Icons 5.2 The Dormition Icons 5.3 The New Genres 5.4 Final Remarks List of Figures List of Icons List of Descent into Hell Icons List of Dormition Icons List of Icons of New Genres List of Frescoes List of Descent into Hell Frescoes List of Dormition Frescoes List of Last Judgment Frescoes List of Abbreviations Bibliography Primary Sources Works Cited Back Cover