Icon of the Mother of God and Infant Christ (Virgin Eleousa)

Angelos Akotantos

This large icon of a tender embrace between the Virgin Mary and Christ likely hung on a Greek Orthodox church’s iconostasis, a screen separating the congregation from the altar-containing sanctuary, which only clergy could enter. A skilled painter of faces and draperies, Angelos Akotantos was among Crete’s most sought-after artists. Based in Byzantium’s artistic center in his hometown of Candia, he painted for imperial clients and beyond. Despite theological differences, Cretan icons of Mary were popular in Ethiopia. In the early 1500s, Emperor Lebna Dengel sent monks Zekre and Pawli to acquire Cretan icons for him. Twenty-nine Cretan icons are still venerated (honored) in Ethiopian churches.

Artwork details

Artist: Angelos Akotantos
Date: c. 1425–50
Medium: tempera and gold on wood
Dimensions: Unframed: 96 x 70 cm (37 13/16 x 27 9/16 in.)
Culture: Republic of Venice, Kingdom of Candia, Candia (Heraklion, Crete, Greece) or Byzantine Empire, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)
Collection: Medieval Art

Choose a frame

Select a frame to apply it to this artwork.

portrait artwork · 8976 × 12267 pixels

No frames are available for this image orientation.

Artwork total

Rs. 1088

Artwork cost: Rs. 1000

Qty

SIZE & CUSTOMIZATION

Print surface

Size / customization

Artwork size: 8" × 11"

Whole-inch standard sizes may trim a small amount from the edges. Artwork is never stretched.