Δύο παλαιολόγειες εικόνες στα Ιεροσόλυμα
Part of : Δελτίον της Χριστιανικής Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας ; Vol.38, 1999, pages 291-308
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Pages:
291-308
Parallel Title:
Two Paleologan Icons in Jerusalem
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Articles
Abstract:
Two bilateral icons survive in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The main side of the first icon portrays the Virginholding Christ on her right arm. It was encased in silver inthe 19th century and the faces were repainted during thesame period (Fig. 1). The reverse side shows St. Gerasimos,a famous ascetic of the 5th century who founded a monastery in Palestine near the Jordan River (Fig. 2). St. Gerasimos was rarely depicted before the 14th century, probablybecause he had adhered to monophysitism for a while. Hisdepiction in wall paintings of the 14th century has beenattributed to the influence of the hesychasts (Bakalova) andof Mount Athos (Tomekovic). However, these explanationsare unlikely, as no Byzantine representations of St. Gerasimos survive on Mount Athos. All the 13th- and 14th-centurymonuments where he is portrayed had some relationshipwith Serbia, where it seems that he was particularly venerated. The oldest surviving cycle of St. Gerasimos' life is inSt. Nicholas Orphanos of Thessaloniki, and this is one morereason for attributing these wall paintings to the patronageof the Serb king Milutin, as Kissas and Tsitouridou havemaintained.The Jerusalem icon is the only known Byzantine portrayal ofSt. Gerasimos on a portable icon. The icon does not showhim standing up and holding a scroll, as he is portrayed inwall paintings, but rather we see him caring for a lion thathas a thorn in its paw, following the Pratum Spirituale ofJohn Moschos. According to its inscription, this icon wascommissioned for the Palestinian monastery of Kalamon. Itis an exceptional example of the Palaeologan 'heavy style'and dates to around 1300. It was probably painted in Palestine by an artist who was acquainted with trends in paintingin Thessaloniki and Constantinople. Although it predatesthe oldest surviving cycle of the story of St. Gerasimos andthe lion, about 1310-1320, which is in St. Nicholas Orphanosin Thessaloniki, it most probably copied the episode with thelion from a lost fresco cycle of the saint's life, or possibly, asBakalova believes, from an illustrated manuscript of thePratum Spirituale, rather than the other way around.The second icon portrays the Virgin Hodegetria on the firstside (Fig. 4) and the Crucifixion on the reverse side (Fig. 5).The Theotokos is framed by Christ between two angels andby the apostles. As is often the case, the painting on the firstside wore away and was repainted. On the basis of stylisticconsiderations, the Crucifixion is attributed to a Cypriotworkshop operating at the end of the 14th century or in theearly decades of the 15th century.About 140 Greek bilateral icons are known today. The mostcommon combination is the Virgin with child, usually theHodegetria type, on one side, with the Crucifixion, which isgenerally limited to the three main figures, on the other. Acatalogue of icons which combine the Virgin with the Crucifixion or with other similar subjects, such as the Road toCalvary, the Deposition from the Cross, and the Man ofSorrows, is provided in Appendix A. Saints are portrayedon one or both sides of about 50 bilateral icons. Theinstances where a saint is combined with the Virgin on thefirst side, as in the first of the Jerusalem icons, are listed inAppendix D.
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