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THE DORMITION OF THE VIRGIN

69.5 x 45.8 x 2.4 cm

18th century

The Virgin lies on her bier, behind which Christ stands in frontal pose, within a bright mandorla flanked by two angels, clouds and with a small seraph at the top, all in blue-grey monochromy. At each side, on a disproportionately small scale is a two-storey building with gable roof, while in the landscape in the background is the apostle Thomas. He advances with his hand outstretched towards the Virgin, who appears holding the Girdle, upon clouds upheld by two angels, in the middle of the gold ground. Towards the top are clouds surrounding a segment of heaven with gold rays. In general outline the iconographic model of the Dormition of the Virgin Cat. no. 36 (Fig. 183)¹ is repeated here, painted in a simplified manner and enriched with a landscape in the background. The figures are rendered in a perfunctory manner, with prominent features and clumsy movements. The buildings are simpler, imitating, on a much smaller scale, those in the icon of the Dormition of the Virgin Cat. no, 36. Unfortunately previous conservation has destroyed the modelling of the flesh and altered the colours of the icon, which must have been painted in a local workshop in the Ionian Islands, possibly Zakynthos.

CONDITION Previous conservation of the icon has destroyed the intermediate tones, the modelling on most of the faces and altered the colours.

PROVENANCE The same as icon Cat. no. 36, possibly from Zakynthos.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Unpublished.

ΝΟΤΕS
1. For the iconography see Cat. no. 36, 306-311.