Understanding Rublev’s Trinity Icon

Andrei Rublev (ca. 1370–1430 AD) is a canonized a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church, though very little is known of his life; even his birth and death dates are uncertain. However, he is Russia’s most celebrated iconographer whose masterpiece, The Trinity, is a sublime retelling, in sacred art, of the story of Abraham’s three angelic visitors in Genesis 18.

Despite four or five inept re-paintings of the icon over the past five hundred years, a serious restoration effort in 1918 uncovered Rublev’s original brilliant colors and artistic genius.

He is famous for having “softened” the hard lines and severe looks of the earlier Byzantine icon tradition and pioneered the use of bright colors in Russian iconography.

What to Look For

Angels: The three celestial beings who came to visit Abraham and Sarah represent the Persons of the Trinity:

• The Father is the figure on the left who blesses the Son in the middle, who in turn seems to point to the Holy Spirit on the right, whose concave form indicates His passive reception of the blessing.

• Both Son and Spirit bow their heads to the Father who mutually bows to them.

• If you follow the “movement” of the persons from the bowed heads around the outlines of the bodies through the configuration of the legs below, you will see that they form a perfect circle.

Positioning: Fittingly, the angels are seated around a table resembling an altar with a Eucharistic chalice in the middle, which Christ blesses. The three figures are arranged in a triangular pattern, and both the circle and triangle encompass the Eucharistic table at the center.

Garments: The Father’s garments are shimmering gold and celestial blue, symbols of heaven; the Son’s garments reflect the colors of the world (earth and sky) with a sash of gold to symbolize His kingship; the Holy Spirit’s blue and green colors are symbols of air, water, and nature for He is the “Lord and giver of life”.

Haloes: These symbols of holiness radiate pure white light, signifying God’s creative power in Genesis, “Let there be light.”

Objects: Although somewhat difficult to see, each angel holds a thin black staff which points to objects above the figures.

• The Father’s staff points to Abraham’s house, implying His own house: Heaven;

• Above the Son is the Oak of Mamre (Gen 18), symbolizing His cross as the Tree of Life;

• Above the Spirit is a rock, indicating the Church, which the Holy Spirit guides through history.

Dynamic Unity: The contemplative “feel” of the whole scene is one of dynamic unity: all three figures are identical in form (notice that their faces are indistinguishable from one another) but distinct in personality and expressive of their unique personal characteristics in a perfect bond of love.

It is sublime Trinitarian theology in sacred imagery. A blessed Trinity Sunday to all!

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(The above article is a slightly adapted version of Peter Darcy’s Mini-Window of the same subject. Please visit the page dedicated to all the Mini-Windows.)

Image source: Andrei Rublev, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons