• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.398-418
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• 2024

This study aims to examine how the body and clothing of Jesus Christ are represented in the Russian Transfiguration of Christ icons of the 15th and 16th centuries and why it is considered to have established a distinct Russian iconography free from Byzantine influence. The study analyzes the Russian icons comparing them with their Byzantine prototypes to identify the distinctive 'Russianness' of the representation. The research methods comprise a qualitative analysis of the literature on Russian Orthodoxy, Russian icons, Christian theology, and Christ's clothing and an empirical analysis of the icons. The scope of the study is limited to Russian icons from the 15th and 16th centuries and Byzantine icons from the 9th century onwards. The study found that, compared to Byzantine icons, the Russian icons exhibit a more elongated body, darker facial features, and lighter clothing. A statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test further revealed that the Russian icons feature a stiffer, simpler form, more opaque material, and more defined clothing boundaries. These stylistic differences suggest that the 'Russianness' in the expression of Christ's body and clothing in the Transfiguration of Christ icons derives from creativity, abstractness, and tradition. Rather than a simple recreation of the historical Christ or adherence to the Byzantine tradition, the Russian iconographic representation emphasizes Christ's transfiguration into a luminous form, as described in the Bible, accentuating his divine nature over his human aspects.