Lord's entry into Jerusalem 1405

This icon, depicting the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, was made by Andrei Rublev in Moscow, using traditional materials like wood panel, gesso, and egg tempera. What strikes me about this work is the intense labor it represents. The process of creating egg tempera is painstaking, requiring the careful mixing of pigment with egg yolk. The application of delicate, precise brushstrokes to build up layers of color, is labor intensive. And then, there’s the gilding; thin sheets of gold leaf that were meticulously applied to create the shimmering background, and the halo, symbolic of divine light. Rublev, working in the late medieval period, would have been deeply embedded in a craft tradition, likely trained from a young age in the techniques of icon painting. The precious materials and devotional subject matter elevate it beyond mere craft, yet it is the tangible evidence of the artist’s hand, and the physical act of creation, that gives the image its enduring power. In contemplating this work, we can see the blending of craft, devotion, and artistry.