OLD MASTER, MODERN AND 19TH-CENTURY PAINTINGS

A Veneto-Cretan icon of the 16th century Annunciation and Saint Theodore of Tyre (or of Amasea) and Saint Theodore Stratelates (or "the General") Tempera and gold on panel 27 × 22 cm The work finds a close reference in a much later icon preserved in the Benaki Museum in Athens. You should see: https://www.benaki.org/index.php?option=com_collectionitems&view=collectionitem&id=108729&Itemid=&lang=el The museum record does not mention any prototype to which the iconographer referred; evidently, the present icon offers new avenues of research for this extremely rare iconography.   On close observation, it appears that the Archangel, unlike in most icons, does not extend his right hand in the act of offering the flower, an action that would place him within an archaic, strictly profile representation, but instead offers the lily with his left hand, a gesture that gives his figure a more three-dimensional presence. Similarly, the Virgin Mary, with her left arm detached from her torso and her hand resting on the lectern, is rendered in a fully corporeal, earthly manner, far removed from traditional two-dimensional representations. The two Saints Theodore most likely reflect a specific reference to Venetian religiosity, as Theodore (San Todaro) was the patron saint of Venice before being replaced by Saint Mark. The work was probably created by a master who, in addition to displaying exceptional technical refinement and attention to even the smallest details (such as the Archangel’s gilded sandals and the plant at the feet of Saint Theodore Stratelates), also possessed a broad cultural background. This allowed him to integrate Venetian pictorial elements within a Greek artistic context, making him a master of post-Byzantine iconographic art.

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