Artwork
Madonna and Child with Saints
Madonna and Child with Saints is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Andreas Ritzos. It dates from 1466 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition expands beyond the central duo to include specific hagiographic figures, namely Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Vincent Ferrer.
Created in 1466 by Andreas Ritzos, this tempera and gold leaf panel painting centers on the Madonna and Child as its primary subject. The composition expands beyond the central duo to include specific hagiographic figures, namely Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Vincent Ferrer.
As a product of the Cretan School, the work functions as a devotional image typical of religious art from this period. The inclusion of these particular saints alongside the Virgin and Christ Child suggests a specific theological or patron-driven narrative, uniting the divine mother and infant with revered members of the Franciscan and Dominican traditions.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in tempera on panel, with gold leaf applied as part of the materials, consistent with Cretan-school icon practice of the period. It is classified as a painting and falls within the religious genre.
The panel measures 180 cm in height and 169.5 cm in width, making it a large-scale devotional object. Stylistically, it is associated with the Cretan school movement, and its composition centers on the Madonna and Child, accompanied by the saints Francis of Assisi and Vincent Ferrer.
History & Provenance
The painting Madonna and Child with Saints was created in 1466 by the Cretan School artist Andreas Ritzos. Executed in tempera and gold leaf on a wooden panel, the work depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child alongside Saints Francis of Assisi and Vincent Ferrer. The artwork currently resides in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Overview
Created in 1466 by the Cretan iconographer Andreas Ritzos, this tempera panel presents a traditional Byzantine composition of the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, flanked by two saints. The work exemplifies the Cretan School’s synthesis of Eastern iconography and Western influences, and it is currently part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection.
Context
The inclusion of both Francis of Assisi and Vincent Ferrer reflects the cross‑cultural religious climate of 15th‑century Crete, where Latin and Greek Christian traditions coexisted. Their presence alongside the Virgin and Child illustrates the blending of Western saintly veneration with Eastern iconographic norms.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Andreas Ritzos (Greek: Ανδρέας Ρίτζος; 1421-1492; also spelled Rico, Ricio or Rizo) was a Greek icon painter from Crete.
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