Today, the best collection of holy icons (the 6th-15th centuries) is preserved at the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Unfortunately, due to the iconoclasm (violent opposition against the veneration of icons and sacred objects) of the eighth and ninth centuries, almost all primitive icons were destroyed. The golden age of Byzantine art and iconography began in the middle of the ninth century and ended with the sack of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. It was in Constantinople that a special style of icon-painting was developed which became known as the Byzantine style, and eventually becoming the pride of Byzantine art. By the sixth century Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, became a great center of sacred art. Only later, some time during the fifth century, were the icons of Jesus Christ and of the Blessed Mother introduced. It seems that the fi rst icons were of the Holy Martyrs and their deeds which were painted in their oratories, as indicated by the homilies of st.
Although these are only legends, nevertheless they confirm an historical fact that in the East the veneration of icons originated in the SyroPalestinian region, the cradle of Christianity. Luke was the first icon.Īccording to another legend, Jesus himself gave an ” image of His sacred face,” called the Icon Made Without Hands (” Nerukotvorennyj Obraz” ), to the Apostle Thaddeus, who used it for miraculous healing and the conversion of the Chaldean King Abgar of Edessa (cf. Apocryphal writings of the second century relate that the icon of the Blessed Mother painted by St. Icons were used in the first centuries of Christianity, first as an object of decoration or private devotion, and later exposed in Christian churches for public veneration. Through the veneration of icons we should feel closer to God and to things divine. The holy icon should not be considered as an object of art or decoration, but rather as a sacred object, fostering devotion and piety. But in its broader sense, as it will be considered here, an icon is any sacred image painted, or otherwise reproduced, for the purpose of veneration.
#Catholic iconographer baltimore portable
eikon-image, picture) is a portable sacred image, painted on a piece of wood according to the style and techniques of Byzantine art. Let us then become acquainted with the history, the meaning and the true spirit of the veneration of icons.ġ. Without them our liturgical worship becomes sorely mutilated and loses a great deal of its solemnity and splendor.
Our ancestors, accepting Christianity in the Byzantine Rite, also accepted the practice of venerating holy icons. It is an encouraging indication of a return to our centuries-old traditions. There is a renewed interest and appreciation of iconography among Byzantine Catholics in the United States. That tension is heightened by the menacing figure of David, painted in hazy dark tones, staring directly at Bathsheba-and the viewer.” We venerate Your sacred image, 0 Lord, and we beg forgiveness of our sins.” Moreover, while many other depictions of Bathsheba blame her for supposedly seducing the king, effectively rendering a monarch blameless, Bordone purposefully left blank space in two-thirds of the foreground to create a sense of unease. Bordone, an Italian, places the scene in a Venetian palace complete with contemporary features to make it relatable to his viewers. As the religious story goes, King David had numerous wives and concubines, yet he lusted after Bathsheba, and had her husband killed so that he could sleep with her.įrom an art-historical perspective, this depiction of the biblical story is quite unique. The custom of the time (roughly 900 B.C.) was that women bathed outside, albeit without elaborate fountains shown in this work. King David was the revered monarch of Israel whom Christians and Jews religiously consider the author of the Book of Psalms. is not only the title of this painting by Paris Bordone made between 15, but one of the most complicated and controversial biblical stories. Paris Bordone, David and Bathsheba, 1540-9.įor those unfamiliar with the Judeo-Christian story, David and Bathsheba.
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