The Temple Gallery company logo
The Temple Gallery
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Icons
  • Exhibitions
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • News
Menu
Christmas 2022
Icons, Buddhas and Paintings by Lucy Temple , 1 December 2022 - 31 January 2023

Christmas 2022: Icons, Buddhas and Paintings by Lucy Temple

Recent exhibitions exhibition
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Presentation of Christ in the Temple, 19th century in the style of the 16th

Presentation of Christ in the Temple, 19th century in the style of the 16th

Russian Icon
13 1/4 x 10 7/8 in
33.5 x 27.5 cm
2957
View on a Wall


Read more

Feast Day: 15th February


The scene takes place in the Jerusalem Temple. The Prophet Simeon is shown standing on the right-side of the panel receiving the Christ-child from the arms of the Virgin, who stands opposite St Simeon. Behind Mary we see St Anna the Prophetess and St Joseph.


The event from the early life is Christ is based on the biblical narrative recorded in the Gospel of Luke:


And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. (2:25-32)


The Presentation of Christ in the Temple is one of the ‘great feasts’ of the Orthodox liturgical calendar (February 14th). The feast originates from ancient times and is known from at least the fourth century. Its iconographic representation was fully established by the ninth century. The prominence given to St Simeon stems from some ancient liturgical texts where he is described as ‘the greatest of the prophets: more even than Moses “he who has seen God”


A work of exceptional quality by a master painter, possibly from Palekh or from the icon painting workshop at Troitsa-Sergeieva Lavra. The architecture, treated in a dream-like fantastical way, obeys geometrical principles that distance us from the three-dimensional world and suggest the ecstatic vision of the divine and multi-dimensional world. The architectural elements, with a veil hanging between them, symbolise what the Philokalia calls ‘the house of spiritual architecture’.[1]


[1] The Philokalia is an anthology of mystical writings of the desert fathers and later the Athos fathers from the 4th – 14th centuries. See Kadloubovsky and Palmer, Writings from the Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart London, 1961) and Early Fathers from the Philiokalia (London 1964).




Close full details

Exhibitions

Christmas 2022

Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email
Previous
|
Next
4 
of  24
Back to exhibitions
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 The Temple Gallery
Site by Artlogic

The Temple Gallery, 6 Clarendon Cross, London, W11 4AP

Tel: 020 7727 3809 

Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Join the mailing list
Send an email

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences