11. The Myrrh Bearing Women at the Empty Tomb

Details

Russian, around 1600, Moscow
71 x 55 cms

Provenance:
Collection Eikon Galleries Amsterdam, The Netherlands, inventory no. 3733.
Private collection, The Netherlands.

Literature:
B. Velthuis, ‘Ikon-Maria’, de Wijenburgh, Echteld, The Netherlands, 1979, p. 17, ill. W.

Hetty & Robert Roozemond, ‘Divine Beauty’, Eikon Galleries Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1981, p. 112 & 113.

André Grabar (et al), ‘Icônes Millénaire du Baptême de la Russie 988-1988’, Fondation Mona Bismarck, Paris, France, 1988, p. 41, ill 31.

Désirée Krikhaar, ‘Geen dag zonder MARIA’, Zwolle-Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2017, p. April 20.

Désirée Krikhaar, ‘Maria Magdalena – Kroongetuige, zondaar, feminist’, Zwolle, The Netherlands, 2021, p 110, ill. 72.

Exhibitions:
‘Divine Beauty, Icons from the collections of the Eikon Galleries Amsterdam’, 1981 – 1982, Manilla, Brussels, Knokke, Basel, Genève and Echteld.

‘Icônes Millénaire du Baptême de la Russie 988-1988, Exposition d’Icônes anciennes et contemporaines‘, Fondation Mona Bismarck, Paris, France, November 1988.

‘Ikonen in Kevelaer’, Petrus Canisius Haus, Kevelaer, Germany, July 16 – August 19 1990.

‘Het Goddelijke verbeeld’, Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands, January 7 – August 29 2004.

‘Goddelijke Inspiratie – Russische Ikonen ontmoeten Westerse Kunst’, Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands, April 10 – August 4 2013.

‘MARIA’, Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands, February 10 – August 20 2017.

‘Maria Magdalena – Kroongetuige, zondaar, feminist’, Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 25 2021 – January 9 2022.

Description:
The Myrrh Bearing Women at the Empty Tomb is the oldest representation of the Easter Feast.

It is based on Matthew 28:1-10, the story of the mourning women, going to Jesus’ sepulchre on the first day of the new week in order to definitively embalm his body. An angel in white raiment says unto the startled women: Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. The angel shows them the empty sepulchre and the linen swathes that have been left.

The Orthodox Church celebrates this feast on the third Sunday after Easter.