Eleven Scenes from the New Testament
(Byzantium and Early Russia)
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.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
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.
Exhibitions
2008-2009 | 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. |
2002-2005 | 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. |
1947 | Early Christian and Byzantine Art. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Mediterranean (Place of Origin)
Measurements
4 3/16 x 3 13/16 in. (10.7 x 9.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Alfred R. L. Dohme, 1944
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
41.241