Johannes Evankelista, venäläinen ikoni
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From the collection of Finnish National Gallery
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From the collection of Finnish National Gallery
This wooden panel shows a saint in dark robes with a golden halo. His right hand holds a book, his left a staff. The paint is tempera—egg yolk mixed with pigments—on wood. Icons like this were tools for prayer, not just art. They follow strict rules so people recognize the same holy figures everywhere. The wood was cut long ago and smoothed thin, then painted in layers. Look up the Museum of Ethnography to see how these images spread across time.
