Ikona sa predstavom bogorodice glikofiluse iz bivše zbirke Kondakov

Abstract

Among the works of art from the former Kondakov collection, now the property of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, a well-preserved Cretan icon of the Virgin Glyko-philousa (inv. n. VO 304, former inv. n. DO 3390, pl. 1) distinguishes itself by its artistic quality. It has been dated diff erently in the scientifi c literature published to date, from the second half/end of 15. century to the end of 16. century.Among widely varied depictions of Glykophilousa in Cretan icon-painting, the type repre-sented in the Prague icon has rarely been painted. A series of iconographic motives in this icon – the embrace, gesture of Christ, crossed legs, sandal which comes off revealing the child’s sole, Christ’s clothes and text on the scroll – link it semantically with the Virgin of the Passion, and dogmatically they point towards the messianic role of the embodied Logos According to Baltoyianni, the formal prototype for the entire series of the depiction of Gl-ykophilousa in Cretan art school, which includes the iconography that can be seen in the icon from Prague, was a fresco depicting the Virgin with Christ in the parеkklesion of the Chora monastery in Constantinople, as one that is also semantically related to the passion of Christ; the next stage represents the icon of Our Lady of the Snows from the fi rst half of 15. century, preserved in the church of the same name on Naxos, which diff ers from the iconographic type preserved in the Prague icon by the image of little Christ embracing his mother with his right hand as well. However, a fully formed type, as the one in the icon from Prague, only without a scroll in the hand of the Child, is represented in a Cypriot icon from 14. century which is held in the Ecclesiasticаl Museum in Koilani (pl. 3). It is most likely that the type of Glykophilousa painted on the icon from Prague was formed in its primary contours during the Middle Ages, certainly in the late Byzantine period, perhaps even a little sooner, when diff erent types of Gl-ykophilousa and Virgin with the playful Child proliferated. Due to its stylistic features, including the manner of punched decoration, the icon of Virgin Glykophilousa from Prague can be dated to the beginning of the 16. century (pls. 2, 4–5)