The Museum of Kyiv History presented an exhibition project dedicated to a unique cultural phenomenon of Ukrainian history – the Chumak icon on fish.

The exhibition “Ichthys. Chumak Icon on Fish” combines the astonishing Chumak tradition with its modern interpretation. The exhibition features the only preserved original icon on a fish head in Ukraine from the collections of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” and samples of icon painting and painting on fish rescued from the Kherson Regional Museum of Local Lore, created by artist Oksana Osnach.

The exhibition immerses visitors in the everyday life and customs of the Chumaks, revealing the theme of important economic and socio-cultural connections between the regions of Ukraine in the 18th–19th centuries.

Description
The icon on fish is an important symbol of the Chumak tradition. It can be compared to military campaign icons known since the Middle Ages. The Chumaks could carry images made on traditional materials, but the icon on fish was symbolically connected with their way of life, since fish was the second most significant commodity after salt.

General Director of the Museum of Kyiv History Diana Popova notes: “I am extremely pleased that the Museum’s specialists managed to create a project that will undoubtedly surprise. With this exhibition we are not only presenting the history of rare and little-known museum exhibits, but also showing the works of artist Oksana Osnach rescued from occupied Kherson. Each exhibit presented has its own story, which is worth knowing and remembering.”

The fate of the original icons on fish requires special attention: at the beginning of the 20th century, six unique icons on fish were known, five of which were painted on flounder, and one – on the head of a catfish. Unfortunately, only three of the six icons have survived to this day, and only one – on the head of a catfish – remained in Ukraine, while two – on flounder – in 1906 were taken from the village of Demky (Zolotonosha district, Cherkasy region) to the Russian Ethnographic Museum in St. Petersburg.

Interesting fact: all known places where icons on fish were found are located about 100 km from Kyiv. It is likely that the tradition of making such Chumak icons was characteristic specifically of the Kyiv region, and the icons created here accompanied the Chumaks to Crimea and returned with them back.

Curator Andrii Lopushynskyi explains the exhibition’s title as follows: “The word Ichthys, or in Greek ΙΧΘΥΣ, means fish, but it is also deciphered as an acronym from the first letters of the phrase: Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ – Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. In fact, the fish is one of the earliest symbols of Christ. This made it significant for the Chumak tradition, and thus it became the central image of the exhibition.”