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Pendant Icon with the Virgin "Dexiokratousa" and Frame with Winged Bull of Saint Luke on the back
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This small-scale Byzantine icon depicts a half-length figure of the Virgin holding the Christ child. When the icon was mounted in its present frame by a German artist in the 14th century, it was considered to be an authentic portrait painted by Saint Luke. This claim, made in an inscription on the frame, is further emphasized by the ox, Saint Luke’s symbol, engraved on the frame’s reverse.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit linePendant Icon with the Virgin "Dexiokratousa" and Frame with Winged Bull of Saint Luke on the back, pendant 1100s; frame mid-1300s. Byzantium (pendant); Germany, Aachen (frame), Byzantine period, 12th century (pendant); Byzantine period, 14th century (frame). Steatite, gilt silver, pearls; overall: 6.8 x 6.3 x 1.6 cm (2 11/16 x 2 1/2 x 5/8 in.); chain: 13.6 cm (5 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1951.445
