Κρητική εικόνα με παράσταση της εκκλησίας του Αγίου Γεωργίου των Ελλήνων της Βενετίας
Part of : Δελτίον της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας ; Vol.36, 1995, pages 103-114
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Pages:
103-114
Parallel Title:
A Cretan Icon Depicting the Church of Saint George of the Greeks in Venice
Section Title:
Articles
Abstract:
A small arched icon (dimensions: 37.5 cm high and 25cm wide) in a private Athenian collection depicts achurch that can be easily identified as that of St Georgeof the Greeks in Venice. The depiction is flanked by StNicholas, patron saint of the Fraternity of Greeks, andSt George, to whom the church is dedicated. The saintsare depicted turned to the centre of the icon in a threequarter full length pose gazing upward to the heavens.Their arms are raised in an orant gesture. The heavenlysphere depicts a bust of Christ Pantokrator amongstclouds. He blesses the saints while two angels in flightcrown them. The icon is painted on a thin panel, just onecentimetre thick, and is preserved in mediocre condition.It recently underwent conservation in the ConservationCentre of Antiquities. The painting is of high quality andstylistic details disclose that the icon originated from theworkshop of a talented Cretan painter who worked inVenice. His knowledge of the city is suggested byfamiliarity with the church building and the composition'sgeneral style. The composition's terminus post quern mustbe 1593, the year in which the bell-tower, depicted herebehind the church, was effectively completed. The factthat the icon was probably painted close to this date, at theend of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century, isinteresting since it makes this the earliest depiction of thechurch of St George.The central part of the painting is taken up by thegrandly scaled rendition of the church of St George.This Renaissance building, built between 1539 and 1577with funds gathered from Greek expatriates and sailors,is relatively faithfully rendered and its piecemeal formalparts highlighted, the façade and south face is depicted,along with the roof, the dome and the bell-tower behind(actually located at the south-west corner of thecourtyard in front of the church, and more to the right).Comparative analysis of this depiction of the churchwith drawings of the building indicates that the painter'smodel, probably an engraving, depicted the buildingfrom the south-west. The model was translated into anidiom influenced by the long-established traditions ofByzantine perspective along with the use of elementaryperspective for certain parts of the building. The sanctityof the church was stressed by its being flanked by thetwo saints, while the Pantokrator giving the benedictionand the flying angels complete the symbolism. Thepainter thus created a Venetian subject on the model ofthe Sinaitic subjects and those associated with holysanctuaries and monasteries.Both iconographical subject matter and compositionalarrangement originated in the Byzantine tradition. Onlythe composition's extensive scale used for the buildingis foreign to this tradition, and reflects a Western artisticinfluence. The meaning of the icon is concentrated bythe figure of St Nicholas who represents the Fraternity,on behalf of which he presents a model of the churchbuilding to Christ and to St George. Here, then, we haveessentially a votive depiction where the place of thedonor is taken by St Nicholas. This nature of thedepiction is stressed by the inscription on the façade ofthe church, which has been copied with precision.The person or institution that commissioned the workmay have been either a private citizen in an outstandingposition within the Fraternity, and thus an importantexponent of its ideological and aesthetic pursuits, or theFraternity itself. In the latter case the icon must haveconstituted a preliminary plan for a large-scale workintended for the church itself. Such a painting wouldhave taken the place of votive depictions known fromByzantine ecclesiastical wall-painting, thus linking themannerist structure with the Byzantine tradition, atendency generally prevalent in the decoration of thechurch of St George.
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