The Christ in Majesty icon is one of the key icons on an iconostasis. Typically, it sits above the Last Supper and the Royal Doors, and below the Crucifix. This icon’s massive size indicates that it would have come from a large church or cathedral, with an iconostasis made up of three rows of similarly scaled icons. The full iconostasis would have been similar in height to the Museum’s staircase, which spans three floors.

This icon exemplifies the use of “sacred geometry” in icons, which is traditionally used to indicate the order with which God created the natural world. The two ovals, or mandorlas, and the two red super-ellipses help position Christ as the center of the icon. They also contain details that may not at first be visible, such as Christ’s throne, cherubim and seraphim, and thrones, or the winged wheels at his feet, which are another type of angel. The four corners contain the symbols of the Four Evangelists: Matthew’s angel, Mark’s eagle, Luke’s calf, and John’s lion.  

Christ in Majesty icons are also known by the name “Pantocrator,” which means Almighty in Greek. Some Pantocrator icons show Christ holding a closed book. Icons with an open book are part of a subset of Pantocrator icons known as “Christ the Teacher,” as viewers are invited to contemplate the specific text. Here, Christ holds the Bible open to Matthew Chapter 11, verses 28 and 29: “Come to me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. He raises his right hand in a blessing, holding His fingers to represent IC and XC, the “Christogram,” or the initials of Jesus Christ in Greek.