The Virgin Eleousa
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''The Virgin Eleousa'' is a
tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...
painting attributed to
Angelos Akotantos Angelos Akotantos (; 1390–1457) was a Greek painter, educator, and protopsaltis. He painted icons in the Italo-Byzantine, maniera greca, at a time when that style was moving away from the traditions of the Byzantine Empire and towards the more r ...
. Angelos Akotantos was a Greek painter active on the island of
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
during the first half of the 15th century. He is considered one of the founding members of the
Cretan School Cretan school describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the fall of Constantinople, beco ...
along with
Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias (; 1440 – 1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator, one of the founding fathers of the Cretan school. His works could be found in churches and private collections throughout Italy and Greece, where they influenced countless art ...
,
Andreas Ritzos Andreas Ritzos (; 1421—1492; also spelled ''Rico'', ''Ricio'' or ''Rizo'') was a Greek icon painter from Crete. Ritzos is considered one of the founding fathers of the Cretan school. He was affiliated with Angelos Akotantos. Most of his work s ...
, and
Nikolaos Tzafouris Nikolaos Tzafouris (; 1468–1501; also ''Niccolo'', ''Niccolò'', ''Niccolö'', ''Zafuri'', ''Zafuris'') was a Greek Renaissance painter. He was one of the founders of the Cretan school. He was influenced by Angelos Akotantos. His works influ ...
. Over fifty paintings are attributed to Angelos Akotantos. His works served as a prototype for Greek paintings for over five hundred years. Angelos Akotantos was active in
Heraklion Heraklion or Herakleion ( ; , , ), sometimes Iraklion, is the largest city and the administrative capital city, capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion (regional unit), Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in G ...
. He was very wealthy. Much of the information about his life was drawn from a will written in 1436. Historians consider him to have been active between 1425 and 1457. Angelos Akotantos completed many icons of the Virgin and Child in the
Eleousa The Eleusa (or ''Eleousa''; – ''tenderness'' or ''showing mercy'') is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary in icons in which the Christ Child is nestled against her cheek. In the Western Church the type is often known as the Virgin of Tende ...
position. The Eleousa position was drawn from Byzantine prototypes. The style was used by both Greek and Italian painters during the period predating the Italian and Cretan Renaissance. The Greek painters continued the tradition of emulating the Byzantine masters while Italian painters adopted oil painting as opposed to egg
tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...
.
Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...
commented on the technique in his famous book ''
Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects ''The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'' () is a series of artist biographies written by 16th-century Italian painter and architect Giorgio Vasari, which is considered "perhaps the most famous, and even today the ...
''. In his book, Vasari coined the phrase maniera greca. By the 1500s, Angelos Akotantos and his contemporaries painted in the maniera greca. Many of the icon painters chose to emulate Angelos Akotantos, strictly adhering to the traditional maniera greca painting style. Angelos's ''The Virgin Eleousa'' and '' Saint Anne with the Virgin'' were the most copied paintings. The original ''Virgin Eleousa'' is at the
Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
.


Description

The work is in egg
tempera Tempera (), also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as egg yolk. ''Tempera'' also refers to the paintings done in ...
and gold leaf on wood with dimensions of 96 cm (37.7 in) × 70 cm (27.5 in). The painting was finished in the early part of the 15th century. The prototype was used during the Byzantine period. Both Greek and Italian artists followed the style. The Virgin is leaning to the left as she embraces the infant. Her face and neck are elongated. She has a unique headdress under her cloak. There are three stars on her robe. The three stars are taken from traditional Greek Byzantine and Italian prototypes. The robe is also elaborately decorated around the infant's legs. His robe features detailed striations clearly defining the space. Her fingers are long; her right hand holds the
Christ Child The Christ Child—also known as Baby Jesus, Infant Jesus, Child Jesus, Divine Child, Divine Infant and the Holy Child—refers to Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ during his early years. The term refers to a period of life of Jesus, Jesus' l ...
. Her elaborately decorated shirt cuff appears on her right arm. Her lips are a rose color. Her eyes give a serious glance to the viewer. Her chin embraces the young infant in the
Eleousa The Eleusa (or ''Eleousa''; – ''tenderness'' or ''showing mercy'') is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary in icons in which the Christ Child is nestled against her cheek. In the Western Church the type is often known as the Virgin of Tende ...
position. The infant faces his mother. His lips are the same color as hers. His head is tilted back slightly as his mother caresses the holy infant. His hair is brown. The infant wears an orange robe and a white baby shirt with decorations. His orange robe features elaborately painted striations allowing viewers to establish the grooves and ridges. In his hands he holds a scroll, which represents the New Testament. The gilded background allows viewers to connect with the Virgin and Child. The gold symbolizes opulence and power.


Gallery

File:Panagia Glykophilousa.Crete.15cent.Museum.of.the.Russian.icon.png, Similar Eleousa Virgin by Angelos Akotantos File:Angelos Akotantos - The Virgin Cardiotissa - WGA00097.jpg, Similar Eleousa Virgin by Angelos Akotantos File:Virgin Glykophilousa by Angelos Akotantos (Byzantine museum).jpg, Similar Eleousa Virgin by Angelos Akotantos


See also

* Virgin Nikopoios


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Virgin Eleousa, The 15th-century paintings Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art Cretan Renaissance paintings Paintings of the Madonna and Child Eastern Orthodox icons of the Virgin Mary