Holy Bishop

The scene shows a man dressed in red and white and wearing a cross. He is seated and holds in one hand a red book while making the sign of blessing with the other. 

Why are so many icons made by unknown artists? 

All of the icons on view here on the wall were created by artists who are unknown to us today, but why is that? Icons have traditionally been painted in monasteries, where the act of painting is a sacred devotion shaped by rules and procedures. The making of icons has been regarded as a sacred act or mission.

Most important is the choice of motif, and the same scenes are reproduced again and again. Thus, there has been no reason to sign each one. Especially until the sixteenth century, icons were unsigned works by artists whose names are mostly unknown. This continued even longer in Russia.