What are the most important characteristics of Coptic iconography?
Q629 · The Iconostasis
They represent the life of joy. Our icons appear joyous. None of the Lord’s or martyrs’ sufferings are depicted in icons, except the victorious cross, where the Lord was hung as King of kings. There are no pictures of hell, only of heaven, heavenly creatures, and heavenly crowns. This shows the Church’s desire to grant hope to her children.
They are full of the spirit of victory. Because the Church is seeking to create a spirit of confidence in her children, it does not depict paintings of demons; and if any are necessary, they appear small in size, lying down in weakness.
They express the spirit of love and kindness . For example, in one of the icons, St. Mary’s cheeks are depicted to be touching the cheeks of her Son in gentle tenderness as they each place their hands on each other’s shoulders, as though Christ is reconciling with humanity through His mother the saint.
They express the strength of the spirit. Coptic iconographers focus on the inner strength of the spirit. The heads are enlarged as a symbol of God who is our heavenly Head, and the eyes are widened as a sign of spiritual sight.
They represent people of prayer. Saints usually appear raising their hands in prayer to God ( orant ) as if they are declaring that prayer is the mystery of their holiness. It is the preferred position for many martyrs and saints at the time of their departure to paradise.
They bear the cross. The majority of the icons of Alexandria depict Christ bearing a Coptic cross.
They depict the Lord’s providence. The Lord is depicted hanging on the cross with His eyes open. Eulogius of Alexandria says, “The Lord slept on the Cross for a brief time according to the flesh but according to His divinity, His eyes remained open.”
1230 Brooklyn Museum, Pagan and Christian Egypt; Egyptian Art from the First to the 10th Century A. D . (Brooklyn Museum, 1941): p. 10.
1231 Klaus Wessel, Coptic Art (UK: Thames and Hudson, 1963): pp. 160–161.
They depict spiritual sight. Saints are depicted with two eyes as a sign of their inner spiritual sight, while the wicked are depicted from the side in profile, so that only one eye is visible, with which they only look towards earthly things.
They depict military saints. For example, the martyr-saints of the Coptic Church, such as St. George, St. Mena, St. Theodore, St. Victor, and St. Mercurius.