Triptych with Deesis

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

15th – 16th cent.

Geography

Greece

Culture

Greek, Orthodox, Byzantine, Post-Byzantine

Medium

Tempera on wood

Dimensions

Closed: 4 3/16 x 2 9/16 x 13/16 in. (10.6 x 6.7 x 2 cm)
Open: 5 1/16 x 2 9/16 x 13/16 in. (13 x 6.7 x 2 cm)
Wing: 2 15/16 x 1 1/16 x 3/16 in. (7.4 x 2.9 x 0.6 cm)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.349

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris from Iconastas in London, on November 26, 2015. Believed to have come from Mount Athos.

Condition

At the top of the icon, pieces of wood have broken off, in the middle above Christ, and on the right upper corner by John the Baptist. Paint has worn away on the perimeters of the object, while the color surrounding the figures appear relatively vibrant. This most likely points to clear evidence of retouching. (August 2023)

References

Brad Hostetler, with Ani Parnagian, "From Private to Public: The Collection of David P. Harris," in Ethiopian Objects in the Blick-Harris Study Collection: Art, Context, and the Persistence of Form, eds. Brad Hostetler, and Lynn Jones, Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art & Architecture 8, no. 1 (Spring 2022): 5–25. https://digital.kenyon.edu/perejournal/vol8/iss1/1/

Description

This triptych with Deësis (entreaty), features a standard iconographical scene from the Byzantine period. It is a small, fully intact triptych that would have been used for personal devotion, while traveling. The largest and most central panel features Christ the Pantocrator. He wears a red chiton and green himation, and holds a holy red book in his right hand, while his left hand provides a blessing. His hair is a dark ochre brown, and he has a beard; however his chin is hairless, narrow, and accentuated with highlights.

Christ looks to the left of him toward the Virgin Mary, while Mary and John look inwards towards Christ, as their bodies are in the side profile, both of their hands praying in the direction of the central panel. Mary is adorned with a head covering that is attached to the rest of her red cloak, with a green dress peeking out, barely visible underneath. Aside from her distinguishable face and hands the rest of her body is swarmed by cloth, therefore giving her the appearance of a shapeless figure.

Maya Virdell ('24), August 2023