Byzantine, probably Constantinople, early 14th century

Property from a Private European Collection

Byzantine, probably Constantinople, early 14^th century

The Hodegetria Mother of God

The Mother of God, draped in a dark wine-coloured maphorion adorned with alternating gold stars and flowers, gazing solemnly at the spectator. With her right hand, in a formal gesture of presentation, she points at the Christ Child whom she supports with her left arm; the Child blesses, and holds a closed scroll against his left knee; the border painted with images of the Twelve Apostles blessing or holding scrolls; with the symbols of the Four Evangelists at the corners; John the Eagle, Matthew the Angel, Luke the Ox and Mark the Lion, painted against a gilded ground, the haloes delineated by punchwork and tooling, that of the Virgin with flowerheads, those of the Apostles with punched circles

tempera on a gessoed panel, the reverse of the panel also gessoed, slightly reduced on the right-hand side

42 x 32cm.; 16½ x 12⅝ in.