Eleven Scenes from the New Testament

Description When the Byzantine capital Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) was conquered during the Fourth Crusade in 1204, many Byzantine territories in Greece fell to lords from Western Europe. This small icon reflects the coexistence of western and Orthodox cultures in these regions. Its images are accompanied by Latin inscriptions. They depict, in somewhat abbreviated form and according to the conventions established by Byzantine artists, the main events of the New Testament (from top to bottom and left to right): the Nativity, Presentation in the Temple, Baptism, Raising of Lazarus, Entry into Jerusalem, Transfiguration, Crucifixion, Women at the Tomb, Resurrection, Pentecost, and Ascension. Below, Sts. Matthew, Peter, Paul, and Luke (identified by their Greek initials) flank a throne prepared for Christ's Second Coming.

Exhibitions

• Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. 1947.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2001-2002.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville. 2002-2005.
• Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art from the Walters Art Museum. Museum of Biblical Art, New York; Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha. 2008-2009.

Provenance Dikran Kelekian, Constantinople, Paris and New York [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Dr. Alfred Robert Louis Dohme, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1944, by gift.

Credit Gift of Dr. Alfred R. L. Dohme, 1944