Simon Ushakov, "The Savior Not Made by Hands": description and photo

The icon of Simon Ushakov "The Savior Not Made by Hands" is one of the most significant in Orthodoxy. It was created in the middle of the XVII century for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which is located in Sergiev Posad. Until now, thousands of believers have come to worship her every year.

What is Simon Ushakov famous for?

Famous icon-painter and graphic artist was Simon Ushakov. "The Savior Not Made by Hands" became his most famous, but not the only work.

The icon painter was born in Moscow in 1626. Little is known about his life. Apparently, he came from the townspeople. He was sent to the monastery at an early age, because at the age of 22 he became a master of the Silver Chamber under the Armory Order. A very honorable place with high salaries.

Here he was directly obliged to draw objects of church utensils and palace use, painted banners, invented patterns for needlework. Was a full-time cartographer.

In addition, he wrote for both individuals and the church. Soon he gained fame as a famous icon painter.

In the Armory Chamber

In 1664, the hero of our article was transferred to the service in the Armory Chamber. The circle of his duties has become wider, and popularity has only increased. He quickly became one of the best masters under the tsar, having founded a whole school of icon painters.

Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich favored Ushakov, personally gave him all the instructions for the artistic part. Thanks to this, until his death Ushakov lived in prosperity and honor.

He died in the Russian capital in 1686. He was 62 years old.

"The Savior Not Made by Hands". Simon Ushakov

1658 year. His most famous work was created by Simon Ushakov. The icon "The Savior Not Made by Hands" was written for the monastery in Sergiev Posad.

The work is performed on a tree using a tempera. The size of the icon is very small - 53 by 42 centimeters.

History of writing icons

Wrote his famous icon in Moscow Simon Ushakov. "The Savior Not Made by Hands" appeared in the Trinity Church in the capital Nikitinky. It is noteworthy that in the lower part of this work there is an inscription. It says that this work was created by the icon painter Simon Ushakov in 1658, in 7166 from the creation of the world.

This inscription was updated in the XIX century. The icon "The Savior Not Made by Hands" by Simon Ushakov is the very first depiction of the Holy Face of all that has survived to this day. It is known that Ushakov himself and the masters from his circle created more than one such work.

It is worth noting that in this icon showed a certain innovation Simon Ushakov. "The Savior Not Made by Hands" was written in accordance with the most modern artistic techniques of the time. They determined the creative originality of Russian icon painting for many years.

с помощью сложной системы, в которой перемежались темные и светлые тона. This icon stands out from the others not only by the natural transfer of facial features, but also by the "black-and-white" modeling of the volume created by a complex system in which dark and light tones alternated. In order to soften the transitions between them, at the final stage they were further adjusted one to the next.

At the same time it is worth noting that, unlike the European tradition, in the Russian icon the illumination of the saint's face was not motivated by a real light source. And the arrangement of light flashes indicated that Ushakov and his associates followed the tradition that had been in Russia since the XIV century.

Ideological landmarks

A certain ideological and aesthetic reference was for Simon Ushakov "The Savior Not Made by Hands". The year in which this icon was created (1658) was decisive for many Russian icon painters. The fact is that this image was subsequently repeatedly mentioned in the treatises of Joseph Vladimirov, which were devoted to aesthetics and the search for appropriate landmarks. By the way, he was a friend and companion of Ushakov.

In his works, Vladimirov mentioned that Christ in Ushakov was not written according to the canon. However, it is in this form that he becomes closer and more understandable to an ordinary person. After that, many were guided by the work of Simon Ushakov. "The Savior Not Made by Hands", the description of which is given in this article, has become the main subject of icon painting for the coming years.

This became the most authoritative image for any icon painter.

Ushakov's works

Simon Ushakov was an extremely prolific artist and icon painter. To this day, preserved a lot of his works. However, most of them were, unfortunately, spoiled by later restorations and records of descendants.

Better than others today are the icon of the Annunciation, St. Vladimir the Virgin, St. Theodore Stratelates, Descent of the Holy Spirit and, of course, the Savior Not Made by Hands.

These works of the icon painter prove the fact that he was extremely developed for his time a man, a talented painter who fully possessed all the techniques known at that time.

Ushakov principally refused to write icons on ancient patterns, as was customary at that time. He actively absorbed the nuances of Western art, which in the XVII century increasingly penetrated into the territory of Russia.

Ushakov, observing the traditions of the Old Russian icon-painting school, while not afraid to experiment. He invented new compositions, studied the best examples of Western culture, sought to give the figures on their icons movement and individuality.

What is Savior Not Made by Hands?

The Holy Savior is a special image of Christ in Russian iconography. It represents the face of the Son of God on a tile or a clay board.

There are several legends about the miraculous origin of this image.

The first is the eastern one. According to him, the story is connected with the illness of the king of Edessa, who ruled in Mesopotamia, in the territory of modern Turkey. According to legend, after one of the artists sent to the king could not depict Christ, the Son of God washed his face and wiped his handkerchief, which left his image. He gave the handkerchief to the artist.

A noteworthy fact. Since during the washing, the beard of Christ was wet, it was imprinted on the scarf in the form of a characteristic wedge. Since then, many researchers call this icon also "The Savior of the Wet Brac".

There is also a Western medieval legend. It arose between the XIII and XV centuries. More exact dates are unknown. Most likely, it appeared among Franciscan monks.

In the legend there is a Jew Veronica, who accompanied Christ in his last journey to Calvary. At that moment she handed him a linen handkerchief so that the Son of God could wipe the face with sweat and blood. The face of Jesus was also engraved on her scarf. Since then, this relic is kept in Italy, in the cathedral of St. Peter under the name "Veronica's Plate".

In honor of this event was named the constellation of the Southern Hemisphere, which to date has been canceled by astronomers. In its place now is the constellation Sextant.

Scientists repeatedly attempted to investigate this image. All that they were able to establish: it was not painted and not organic materials.