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| Vol. 17, No. 32 | May 21, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 32 | May 21, 1998 |
The University Gallery is presenting the exhibition, "Wonders of Russia: Icons and Minerals from University of Delaware Collections," through July 31 and will repeat the exhibiton from Sept. 8 through Nov. 1.
The exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of both the founding of the University Gallery and of the initial donations for expansion and renovation of the Iréneé du Pont Mineral Room, in the UD Mineralogical Museum in Penny Hall. The exhibition will compare the various aesthetic qualities that are evident in certain works of religious art with those of the wonders produced by the natural world.
Selections from the gallery's collection of Russian Orthodox icons from the late 18th to early 20th centuries will be included. Also on view will be a number of rare specimens from the Mineralogical Museum collection, which were mined in various parts of Russia from the Tsarist period of the late 19th century through the early Soviet era.
Russian Orthodox icons express visually what Christian scripture expresses verbally. Despite their physical beauty, they are intended not so much for visual enjoyment as for spiritual contemplation and liturgical purposes. Based on prescribed models, there is a homogeneity-an "orthodoxy"-to the icon which encapsulates the ideals of the eastern branch of Christianity.
However, each icon remains unique, reflecting the individual skills of its makers and the spiritual aura of its subject. Renown schools of icon art have gradually developed over time, representing numerous artistic variations on the sacred theme.
Similarly, nature's "orthodoxy" is revealed in various mineral formations. Determined by the laws of chemistry and physics, and the random acts of nature which govern the formation of crystals, these minerals display variations in shape, color and texture, making them striking aesthetic specimens. Both the icons and the minerals represent but a sampling of the diverse and important museum collections held by UD.
The icons were presented to the University in 1991 by Leslie M. Burgess and Sarah Jastak-Burgess, an alumna of UD. The minerals were acquired by the University through donations made by Iréneé du Pont, Mrs. David Craven, Frederick Keidel, Mrs. John M. Martin and Alvin B. Stiles.
"Wonders of Russia" is an exhibition designed and produced by students in the Museum Studies Program who are enrolled in the graduate level class, "Museum Curatorship: Temporary and Economical Exhibits."
Icons began to be produced in great numbers sometime around the mid-15th century A.D., perhaps in Constantinople (modern Istanbul), which had been, since 330 A.D., the capital of the East Roman Empire. At the time, it was the center of classical culture in the Eastern Mediterranean.
While Jewish tradition had long rejected the portrayal of divine images, both the Greeks and the Romans had established traditions of portrayals of great figures and gods in funerary and honorific sculpture and portraiture.
The Romans, in particular, used portraits of their emperor for political purposes across the empire, believing that the image itself was somehow an indication of the sovereign's presence and will.
Christianity, particularly in the Greek east, emerged from this milieu with a full appreciation for the value of religious images for didactic, as well as liturgical purposes. Icons developed as a means of reinforcing important events in church history, such as the lives of martyrs and specific feast days, but also served as a means of communication with the divine.
A backlash against images in liturgical use (iconoclasm) heightened around 730 A.D., provoked by the Byzantine Emperor Leo III for various political and economic reasons, as well as the belief that icons were being worshipped for their own sake, rather than that of the divine. The issue was settled by the mid-9th century with the defeat of the iconoclasts.
With the conversion to Christianity of the Russian Prince Valdimir of Kiev in 988 A.D., Russia soon assimilated its Orthodox inheritance from Constantinople, developing its own schools of iconography. When Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, Moscow stood tall as the "Third Rome" and the new center of Orthodoxy.
Icons were used in church but also were to be found in private homes. In the latter case, Russians often placed their icons on a high shelf in the corner of the room, known as the "beautiful corner." In church, portable icons could be carried in procession at festivals, or during the church service. They also were placed on fixed walls or piers for veneration during festivals. An iconostas or icon screen was typically placed between the nave and sanctuary of the Russian church.
Two Russian mines, which are represented in the Mineralogical Museum collection, were centered around Ekaterinburg (originally named after Empress Catherine II, later named Sverdlovsk by the Soviets) in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Since the early 19th century, Ekaterinburg has been tied to the burgeoning mining industry, with many of its residents serving as expert cutters of gemstones.
The Mursinka/Nerchinsk mines, 120 miles to the north, have produced some of the finest examples of topaz in the world, a mineral for which Russia is famous. The mine has been active for well over a century.
The Tokovaya Mines, approximately 90 miles to the east on the Tockovaya River, are known for their bounty of amethyst, aquamarine, blue topaz and emerald gem stones. The site also is known for the 1830 discovery of a new gem- called "alexandrite," after the future Tsar Alexander I. The gem is known for its ability to change color under different lighting. In daylight, the rare and valuable stone appears green-changing to red under incandescent light-and matching perfectly the military colors of Tsarist Russia.
The University Gallery is located on the second floor of Old College. Hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The gallery is closed on Mondays and all UD holidays and will be closed from Aug. 1 through Sept. 7 for the fall exhibition installations. The UD Mineralogical Museum is temporarily closed due to renovation in Penny Hall and will reopen this fall.
All gallery events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 831-8242 or TDD 831-4563. Information also is available on the gallery's web page located at http://seurat.art.udel.edu or on the Minerological Museum web site at http://www.udel.edu/ geology/min/index.html
-Beth Thomas
