Understanding the Meaning of a Riza and an Oklad in Orthodox Christian Iconography
A riza (Ru: риза) is a metal covering for the surface of
an icon, usually made from a precious metal. The English word “revetment” is
sometimes used, though riza is the
most common word used in iconography: even being used to refer to the metal
coverings of icons from the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire, where the practice
originated. Why are icons covered?
The two Russian words used for these
metal coverings – riza (риза)
and oklad (оклад) – give the answer:
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Riza
means “robe”, and so it can be said that the covering is decorative, and used
as a way to honour the icon. No one could look at a riza-covered icon and
imagine it not to be an item precious to the person that possesses it.
§
Oklad
means “covered”, and this word reveals the fundamentally practical reason for
covering icons. They are used to help protect the painted surface of the icons
from blackening caused by the soot and smoke from vigil lamps,
candles,
and incense used during church services.
And so a riza is
used both for venerating an icon, and protecting the icon from damage caused by
veneration.
The riza shown above was made for Andrei Rublev’s famous Icon of the Holy Trinity (the uncovered icon, as it appears
today, is shown on the left. The riza covered
the icon completely except for the angels’ faces, hands, and feet, and was
reworked several times: the earliest elements (the frame, background,
figurative plaques, and precious stone cabochons) The original was a gift of
Tsar Boris Godunov in 1599–1600, and consisted of the frame, background,
figurative plaques, and precious stone haloes. The angel in the centre wears a
pendant that was a gift of Tsarevich Feodor, embellished with pearls and
precious stones framing a re-used Byzantine sapphire cameo of Christ
Pantocrator, originally from the 10th century (difficult to see at this
resolution, but just about visible). The three crescent-shaped necklaces
attached to the haloes were added by Tsar Michael I Romanov in 1626. Later
details were embossed in 1754 by Moscow silversmith Ivan Grigoriev, at the
monastery’s expense. The original covering, as well as the later
embellishments, appear as though the main reason for adding it was in order to
honour the icon (and therefore the prototype: the Holy Trinity). In this way,
the riza could be seen as a form of votive offering.
A distinctive feature of some icons are
tiny holes, regularly-spaced along the haloes and elsewhere, giving the
impression of an attack by extremely organized woodworm. These are caused when
the riza is removed from an icon, leaving behind holes
where the metal was attached to the wood. Indeed, Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity
shows evidence of small holes where the revetment once was. For this, and other
reasons, not everyone likes the covering of icons with rizas.
Certainly the Holy Trinity icon by
Rublev is best-known and loved as it is now, in its original and uncovered
form. However, it could be argued that without covering it up at the beginning
of the 17th century, this medieval icon would never have survived up until
today in such good condition. The profoundly powerful image of the Holy Trinity
was created by Rublev during dark times in Russia’s history, and so acted as a
beacon to the faithful. It was covered during a time of general piety in
Russia, when Christian spirituality flourished throughout the Russian Empire.
The “uncovering” of the icon, along with other icons inspired by Rublev’s
simple, faith-filled, style, occurred at the beginning of the 20th century,
arguably a time when the world entered new “dark” and turbulent times. These
icons “shone forth” again at just the right time, shining all the brighter in
contrast with the surrounding shadows. We live in times when these icons still
shine brightly, and still need to. But they can only do this because they were
hidden beneath gilt metal rizas in the previous centuries of external peace and
prosperity.
