St. Alexander Nevsky

Painting

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

St. Alexander Nevsky

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.074

Description

Tempera mixed with oil on flat wooden panel backed in gold colored silk. The image is bordered in green in addition to geometric gold leaf designs with black and green colors mixed in. The focal image is of a man with brown hair and brown split beard with a halo of green, gold, and orange. He wears a red cape trimmed in brown fur and under that a green tunic with gold and jewel embroidery. A sword hands on his left. His name is indicated in green caption boxes on either side of him.

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

Date made

1875 - 1900

Place

* Untyped Place

St. Petersburg, Russia

Dimensions

Height

10-5/8 in

Width

8-5/16 in

Exhibition

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

This fine portrait of St. Alexander Nevsky displays the 13th-century military leader’s warrior trappings and honors him for his defense of Russia against the Swedes, Teutonic Knights, and Lithuanians. The softened facial features and lavish accoutrements, rendered with three-dimensional shading, attest to an influence from the West in the realistic attention to detail. Rich colors and an abundant use of gold enhance the overall effect.