Modus: Prace z historii sztuki (19.2019)

Figurę 9. Fourteenth-
century relief icon with
a sixteenth-century wooden
panel, obverse with the
Virgin Hodegetria and
Apostles, Vatopedi Monaste-
ry on Mount Athos. Photo
from Treasures of Mount
Athos, edited by B. Atsalos,
A. Karakatsanis, Thessaloni-
ki 1997, p. 326
-> see p. 9
Figurę 10. Fourteenth-
century relief icon with
a sixteenth-century wooden
panel, reverse with six
warrior saints and ten
martyrs of Crete, Vatopedi
Monastery on Mount Athos.
Photo from Treasures of
Mount Athos 1997, p. 327
->see p. 9
Figurę 11. Eleventh-century
steatite icon with Saint
Nicholas (repainted in
seventeenth century) with
a wooden panel dating
from thirteenth/fourteenth
century, Holy Monastery
of Saint Catherine at Sinai.
Photo from Byzantium: Faith
and Power, p. 346
-> see p. 10

Most probably this had taken place at the end of the fourteenth century, as evi-
denced by the style of the preserved scenes.19 In addition to two examples from
Vlatadon, in Thessaloniki there is another composite icon - a Dexiokratousa (see:
Figurę 7) from around 1200, in the collection of the Museum of Byzantine Culture.
Before the icon was cleaned, it was believed to represent Saint Paraskevi, featuring
a panel with scenes from that saints life, added to it the eighteenth century (see:
Figurę 8), while in 1900, it was moved to the cemetery church of Saint Paraskevi.20
It seems that the addition of the panel was intended to enable the identification
of the saint, and the inspiration to enlarge it in this manner was provided by icons
with scenes from the life of the saint.21 The icon from the Vatopedi Monastery on
Mount Athos has a much morę similar composition (see: Figures 9-10). According
to legend, the steatite icon, with the representation of the Virgin Hodegetria on
the obverse, and with six saints on horseback on the reverse, was given to the mon-
astery by relatives of John vi Kantakouzenos.22 It dates back to the fourteenth
century, and in the sixteenth century it was framed in a frame with busts of the
apostles, and with ten martyrs from Crete on the reverse.23 Similar to the icon
from Ylatadon, the proportions of the smali element inserted into a relatively large
frame are very similar; moreover, the representations on the larger icon form elear
rows with half-length figures. Saints in rows also appear in the Sinai icon with
Saint Nicholas (see: Figurę 11), which was framed at the turn of the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries in a decorative frame depicting Deesis, the apostles Peter
and Paul, and saints George, Onuphrius, and Blasios of Amorion.24 In the above
examples, the inserted icon has been placed in the centre, which makes it stand
out visually. The deliberate emphasis on the inserted element is not obvious, as
noted by Vokotopoulos, in the case of representations of saints holding an icon,
where the held picture was inserted, instead of painting it, in order to lend realism
to the scene.25 An example of such an arrangement seems to be the icon of Saint
Paraskevi (see: Figurę 12) from the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
The icon inserted within it, which has not yet been dated, shows Saint Paraskevi
holding another icon, painted in this case.26 Therefore, a seemingly minor ele-
ment, the strong red border surrounding the inserted Ylatadon icon, may lead to
the supposition that this was a deliberate action, with the main purpose of visually
distinguishing or separating the older representation. The colour makes the frame
visible, even though it is not as wide as, for example, the frame of the icon from
19 A. Toupra, EiKÓveę, p. 179.
20 A. Toupra, Eikóvoc AE^toKparoócraę IIavayiaę arr] &EtmaXoviKr], in: Ev<ppóavvov: atpiźptopa otov
MavóXp Xar^t]8aKr], vol. 2, A0qva 1992, pp. 607-617; Mr/cr/p &eov: anetKovio£ię w/ę IIavayiaę
ort] (iv^avTivri T£%vr], edited by M. BaaiActKp, A0f|va 2000, p. 474, no. 78.
21 For morę Information about the so-called vita icons, and on the origin of the form, see:
N.P. Śevćenko, Vita Icons and Decorated Icons of the Komnenian Period, in: Four Icons in the Menil
Collection, edited by B. Davezac, Houston 1992, pp. 56-69; eadem, The Vita Icon and the Painter
as Hagiographer, “Dumbarton Oaks Papers”, 53,1999, pp. 149-165.
22 I. Kalavrezou-Maxeiner, Byzantine Icons in Steatite, Wien 1985, pp. 200-201; A. Ao(3ćp5ov-
Toiyapida, Bv(avrivt] piKpOTEyvia, in: lepa MeyiaTt] Movf] Baronaióiou. IlapaSocrp, lozopia,
Teyyr], Ayiov 'Opoę 1996, pp. 461-463.
23 E. Tmyapidac;, <Popr]TĆę £tKÓV£ę, in: fepa Meyiarr], pp. 405-406; Treasures of Mount Athos, edited
by B. Atsalos, A. Karakatsanis, Thessaloniki 1997, pp. 326-328, no. 9.6.
24 I. Kalavrezou-Maxeiner, Byzantine Icons, pp. 106-107,no. 14; Byzantium: Faith, p. 347, no. 205.
25 P. Yokotopoulos, Composite Icons, p. 7; idem, Xvv6eT£ę £tKÓveę, p. 303.
26 S. Sophocleous, Icons ofCyprus. yth-20th Century, Nicosia 1994, p. 98, no. 42.

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Dorota Zaprzalska