This study aims to examine how the body and clothing of Jesus Christ are represented in the Russian Transfiguration of Christ icons of the 15th and 16th centuries and why it is considered to have established a distinct Russian iconography free from Byzantine influence. The study analyzes the Russian icons comparing them with their Byzantine prototypes to identify the distinctive ‘Russianness’ of the representation. The research methods comprise a qualitative analysis of the literature on Russian Orthodoxy, Russian icons, Christian theology, and Christ’s clothing and an empirical analysis of the icons. The scope of the study is limited to Russian icons from the 15th and 16th centuries and Byzantine icons from the 9th century onwards. The study found that, compared to Byzantine icons, the Russian icons exhibit a more elongated body, darker facial features, and lighter clothing. A statistical analysis using the Mann-Whitney U test further revealed that the Russian icons feature a stiffer, simpler form, more opaque material, and more defined clothing boundaries. These stylistic differences suggest that the ‘Russianness’ in the expression of Christ’s body and clothing in the Transfiguration of Christ icons derives from creativity, abstractness, and tradition. Rather than a simple recreation of the historical Christ or adherence to the Byzantine tradition, the Russian iconographic representation emphasizes Christ's transfiguration into a luminous form, as described in the Bible, accentuating his divine nature over his human aspects.

비잔틴 정교회에서 이콘 화가들은 개인의 상상력과 창조에 의해 표현하는 것을 금지하고 있다. 이콘은 규범에 따라 그려졌으며, 시대적 이데올로기와 예술적 창작 요소는 반영하지 않는다. 비잔틴 이콘은 원형을 유지해야한다고 규정하고 있다. 그러나 이콘은 시대와 지역에 따라 차이를 드러낸다. 역사와 신학의 변화 속에서 새로운 조형언어를 형성한다. 본고는 비잔틴 미술에서 그리스도의 변모를 주제로 한 이콘의 표준 도상을 살펴본 후, 러시아의 노브고로트 화파와 이탈리아 르네상스 시기의 라파엘로의 그리스도의 변모 도상의 시대적 배경, 신학적 내용, 그리고 도상학적 표현을 통해 이콘의 전승과 해석을 고찰하였다.