GROSSE IKONE MIT DER MADRE DELLA CONSOLAZIONE Lot n° 15

NICOLAOS TZAFOURIS circa 1455 Candia/Crete - 1501 (Circle of) A LARGE ICON SHOWING THE MADRE DELLA CONSOLAZIONE Veneto-Cretan, late 15th century Tempera on wood panel with gesso ground. The backside with two later splints. The Mother of God holding Christ on her right arm, whilst resting her left hand lovingly on his legs. Christ holding an orb in one hand and making a sign of blessing with the other. The Mother of God depicted half-length on gilded ground wearing a green tunic and a red maphorion fastened at the chest with a transparent white veil draped over her hair. The hems decorated in gold with pseudo-Kufic inscriptions. The orange mantle of Christ decorated with fine gold lines. The haloes tooled with scrolling foliage. Areas of retouching. 61 x 47 cm. The iconography of the Madre della Consolazione, with its predominantly late Gothic Italian style, appear to have been first introduced by the Cretan icon painter Nicholas Tzafouris in the second half of the 15th century. There are three examples bearing his signature (Paul Canellopoulos Collection Athen, private collection Trieste and Ikonenmuseum Recklinghausen, Germany). NIKOLAOS TZAFOURIS ca. 1455 Candia/Kreta - 1501 (Umkreis) GROSSE IKONE MIT DER MADRE DELLA CONSOLAZIONE Veneto-Kretisch, Ende 15. Jh. Einzeltafel, rueckseitig verstaerkt. Eitempera auf Kreidegrund, Goldgrund, ornamental punzierte Nimben, vergoldete Ornamentierung der Gewaender. 61 x 47 cm. Bildfuellende Darstellung der leicht nach links geneigten Gottesmutter. In ihrem rechten Arm haelt sie den aufrecht sitzenden Christusknaben, der seine Rechte im Segensgestus erhoben hat, waehrend er in seiner Linken den Reichsapfel haelt. ueber dem gruenen Chiton traegt der Christusknabe ein orangefarbenes Himation mit Chrysographie. Feine Modellierung der Inkarnate. Der Bildtypus dieser Muttergottesdarstellung entwickelte sich in der kretischen Ikonenmalerei gegen Ende des 15. Jahrhunderts. Nikolaos Tzafouris scheint diesen Gottesmuttertypus in die