Holy Women at the Sepulcher, The

Painting

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

Holy Women at the Sepulcher, The

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.054

Description

Tempera painting on curved wooden panel covered by silver-plated copper riza. The riza shows three women on the right and an angel seated on the left. The women stand aside a table with a burial shroud atop it, a cluster of flowers is etched below. The angel, each of the three women, and an image of God at the top are all surrounded by raised halos. Two Russian Cyrillic captions flank the figure of God. Despite the presence of a riza, this piece has no makers mark or other stylistic stamps.

Type of Painting

Panel

Artwork Details

Medium

Tempera

Collection

Betsy Scheuring Icon Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2005.02

Source or Donor

Betsy Scheuring

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Betsy Scheuring

Made/Created

Time Period

19th Century

Place

* Untyped Place

Ural Region, Russia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Transcription

ОБразъ СВЯШы ЖЕнъ ИИрОносицъ

Language

Cyrillic alphabet, Russian

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Icon

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Symbol, Religious

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Religious Objects

Nomenclature Class

Ceremonial Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

13 in

Width

10-1/2 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Exhibition

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

The icon depicts the three Marys, or “Myrrh Bearing Women,” visiting Christ’s tomb, three days after his death. The women discover the empty tomb, with only Christ’s burial linens remaining. An angel appears to the left, gesturing towards the tomb. A silver riza covers the entire icon except for the faces and hands of the figures, who are shown with ornate embossed haloes. The entire scene is framed by a rich floral scroll.