115. Icon on wood, "Mother of God with the Infant", Greek school, towards the end of the 16th century, rare, collectible piece

Small in size, the icon was probably intended for private use. On the golden background of the icon is depicted below the middle, the Mother of God with the Child in her arms, who holds with her left hand a rotulus and with the right blesses, a representation that fits into the Hodigitria type, the Guide. However, some particularities, such as the Virgin's gesture of holding Jesus Child to her chest with both hands, the slight inclination of the head towards the Child, his thoughtful look, refer to another type, namely the Eleusa type. The Mother of God is dressed in a cherry-red maphorion, edged with a golden galon decorated with pearls and precious stones, draped in angular folds, and the Child Jesus wears a white chiton and a red-ocher himation, chrisographed. Both have around their heads halos decorated with wheels. The faces, made according to the typical, are modelled in the tradition of Cretan painting in shades of ocher, ranging from greenish-brown shadow towards the illuminated parts, through relatively abrupt transitions. The field of the icon is framed by a thickened, double-profiled frame, painted in gold and red (A.D.).

Dimensions

width 19 cm, height 25 cm

Description

tempera and gold foil on wood

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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