St. George the Victorious

Painting

-

Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

St. George the Victorious

Entry/Object ID

2005.02.121

Description

Tempera on flat wooden panel backed in faded purple velvet topped with silver riza. The velvet on the back has been carved with a message in Cyrillic script. The riza features a three leaf ivy leaf motif around the edges and has a Cyrillic caption on the bottom. The focal image features a male with a painted clean shaven face and hands holding a metal spear and adorned with a metal halo. He wears a cape draped over his armor and tunic and wears trousers in his shin guards over his shoes. He stands on a rock in a lake with square top buildings in the background.

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

Artist

Nikolay Gertov

Date made

1829 - 1833

Place

* Untyped Place

St. Petersburg, Russia

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Makers Mark

Location

Left side of the halo, to the right of the right boot in the cape, and underside of riza

Transcription

HГ, 84, the profile of a crowned head

Language

Cyrillic

Translation

N. G.

Type

Inscription

Location

Back of icon

Transcription

Cursive script

Language

Cyrillic

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

8-3/4 in

Width

7 in

Depth

1 in

Exhibition

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

For the biography of St. George, see 2005.02.047. St. George stands in full military dress with the city of Silene visible in the background. His features are soft and he has been given large, round eyes and curly brown hair. Distance is suggested with hills and water seen between St. George and the city, and details include delicate waves, leaves, grass, and even decorations on distant buildings. Attached to the riza is a separate halo with a meander design on its border, and just inside the border is another halo with small ornaments complementing the rays emitted from the halo. The border contains floral scrolls that go well with the armor’s decorative engravings.