Old Testament Trinity, The

Painting

-

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

Old Testament Trinity, The

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.029

Description

Tempera on slightly curved wood panel. Wood once painted a chocolate brown and border painted in red followed by tan and finally mustard yellow before dropping into the focal image. In the mustard yellow margin is an angel and red Church Slavonic caption and on the right is another inscription with two male figures. The image has a gold decorative flourish at the top and gold caption in a red oval at the bottom. Within the image are three angels with gold leaf halos seated at a table with three chalices of red liquid flanked by a woman on the right and a bearded man on the left. In the background are two constructions and a man with a knife on horseback. The wood panel has Cyrillic script carved into the back

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

City

Palekh

Country

Russia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

Back of painting

Language

Cyrillic

Dimensions

Height

16-5/8 in

Width

13-1/2 in

Depth

1-1/4 in

Exhibitions

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)
Surveying the Sacred: Analysis of the Scheuring Collection of Eastern Orthodox Icons (2025)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

The theme of this work is the visit of God the Father (who appears in the form of three angels) to Abraham and Sarah at the Oak of Mamre, as recorded in Genesis. The three angels are shown seated at table, with Abraham on the left and Sarah on the right. Behind them is their servant who appears on a hill slaying a calf. The inclusion of the last three figures indicates the influence of art of the west (cf. 2005.02.056). Unlike earlier examples of the Holy Trinity, Abraham’s house (seen behind the first angel) now appears as a castle, and the hill behind the angel on the right is naturalistic in appearance. An angel, seemingly a Guardian Angel (frequently found as a “border saint”), appears in the left margin, and St. John the Baptist (shown holding his own severed head) is shown symbolically in the right border