| This is an early type of the Christ
Pantocrator. Wearing a tunic (chiton) and a draped
outer garment (himation), Christ makes the sign of
blessing with the right hand and holds in the left a
very thick Gospel-book with a cover adorned with
jewels and precious stones. The eyes are not alike in
size and shape, the mouth is asymmetrical with a
melancholy expression, the rather short beard has an
inward curve and the hair falls back over the left
shoulder.
The exceptionally high quality of
the painted icon suggests that it must have been the
product of a Constantinopolitan atelier in Justinian's
age. This may be further confirmed by the fact that
the iconographical type it represents was created at
the time when Justinian was emperor, although we
cannot be absolutely certain about that. It should be
remembered at this point that the Monastery of St.
Catherine had been founded by Justinian and that the emperor
had presumably sent various gifts to the Monastery,
including perhaps this very icon
At one time the icon was dated to
the 13th century. However, its cleaning and
conservation in 1962 revealed the original encaustic
layer, thus pointing to a much earlier date in the 6th
or 7th century. (.85 X .45 meters)
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