Madre della Consolazione
| Madre della Consolazione | |
|---|---|
%2C_madre_della_consolazione%2C_creta_1490_ca.jpg) | |
| Artist | Nikolaos Tzafouris |
| Year | c. 1490 |
| Medium | Panel, ghesso, tempera |
| Dimensions | 44 cm × 35.5 cm (17 in × 14.0 in) |
| Location | Morsink Icon Gallery, after 2016 in pritive collection, Netherlands |
The Madre della Consolazione (Crete) is an icon attributed to Nikolaos Tzafouris.
Description
The Mother of God is depicted half-length against a gold background. She wears a blue tunic and a purple ‘maphorion‘ (mantle), fastened at the chest. The borders of both her tunic and mantle are decorated with gold pseudo-Kufic (stylised Arabic) inscriptions. A transparent white veil is draped over her hair. Holding Christ on her right arm, Mary gestures towards him by resting her hand lovingly on his left leg. Christ holds a gold globe in one hand and makes a sign of blessing with the other. His face is turned towards the left. His undergarment is a dark blue tunic, decorated with gold stars. His orange-red robe has a refined pattern of gold highlights accentuating the fall of the folds. At his right upper arm, a part of his transparent white shirt is visible, reaching to his elbow.[1]
Iconography
The iconography of the Madre della Consolazione type is of Western origin. It has clearly been influenced by Italian prototypes from the 14th century. The icon’s Italian title refers to the suffering of Christ, as anticipated by his mother. The type was probably introduced to the Orthodox-Christian world by the famous icon painter Nikolaos Tzafouris in the second half of the 15th century; his oeuvre is typified by combined Byzantine and Italian iconographical types. Our icon is painted in a highly refined style and can be dated in the late 15th century.
Attribution
Very Similar floral punched motifs can be found in the halo’s of the signed Tzafouris Pieta icon in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and in the halo’s of the signed Tzafouris Madre della Consolazione icon in a Dutch private collection (currently on loan to the Ikonen-Museum Recklinghausen, Germany). The punching, the specific iconography and the refined style of the painting, all point towards Nikolaos Tzafouris or a painter from his immediate circle.
Location
The icon was in the collection of Morsink Icon Gallery, Amsterdam till 2016 and then was purchased by a private collector from the Netherlands.
References
- ↑ TEFAF Maastricht Catalogue 2016.