Christ Pantocrator with a silver riza, Moscow 1882

Egg tempera on panel

Height x width: 26.5 x 21.5 cm

This work serves as a splendid and refined example of late 19th-century Russian Orthodox sacred painting, centered on the monumental iconography of Christ Pantocrator. The Savior is depicted in a half-length portrait, presented with a rigorous and magnetic frontality that immediately captures the viewer's gaze. With His right hand raised to His chest, Jesus performs the traditional gesture of blessing according to Eastern liturgical custom, while His left hand supports an open Book of the Gospels, displayed forward; its pages bear the sacred text inscribed in Church Slavonic Cyrillic characters. His face, defined by symmetrical and exceptionally noble features, is rendered with a painterly technique of remarkable softness and naturalistic sensitivity—a subtle, academic blending (sfumato) that enhances the expressive intensity of His brown eyes and the solemnity of His gaze. The painted surface is enclosed and protected by a sumptuous riza (metal cover). Surrounding Christ’s face is an imposing halo, pierced with geometric patterns and stylized vegetal motifs—reminiscent of the Neo-Russian style—complemented by an engraved sunburst pattern in the background that amplifies the radiance of this divine epiphany. The metallic garment conveys the volume and dense folds of fabric with great plasticity, achieved through an exquisitely detailed *repoussé* (embossed) texture. The composition is framed by an elaborate border featuring continuous geometric motifs, interlace patterns inspired by Byzantine architecture, and lobed arches in the upper corners; at the base, an embossed rectangular cartouche displays the traditional title in Cyrillic characters.

The riza is fully hallmarked with the 84 zolotniks (875/1000 silver mark used in Moscow in 1882, with the mark of the assayer Ivan Yefimovich Konstantinov and that of an unidentified silversmith.