Artwork
Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection (Victor of Crete)
Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection (Victor of Crete) is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Victor of Crete. It dates from 1673 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious art, the iconography centers on this pivotal event in Christian theology, representing Christ's victory over death.
Created in 1673 by the Cretan School artist Victor of Crete, this tempera and gold leaf panel painting depicts the Resurrection of Jesus. As a work of religious art, the iconography centers on this pivotal event in Christian theology, representing Christ's victory over death. The use of gold leaf and tempera on panel aligns with traditional Byzantine and post-Byzantine techniques often employed to convey divine light and spiritual significance within sacred narratives.
Technique & Style
Created in 1673 by Victor of Crete, the Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection is a religious painting executed in the Cretan school tradition. The work utilizes tempera as its primary medium, applied to a wooden panel support. Gold leaf is incorporated into the composition, a characteristic material choice for this genre and period.
The painting depicts the Resurrection of Jesus, adhering to the formal conventions of Orthodox iconography while reflecting the stylistic nuances of the artist's era.
History & Provenance
The panel painting known as Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection was executed in 1673 by the Cretan school artist Victor of Crete. Created using tempera and gold leaf, the work depicts the Resurrection of Jesus within the religious genre. The piece currently resides in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
While the specific circumstances of its original commission and the detailed chain of ownership prior to its museum acquisition are not detailed in the available records, the date of inception is firmly established as 1673.
The Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The work, created in 1673, is executed in tempera and gold leaf on a panel. While its current location and creation date are documented, the provided sources do not contain specific inventory numbers or details regarding its exhibition history.
Context
Victor of Crete's 1673 tempera panel Panagiarion Showing the Resurrection, housed in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, exemplifies the Cretan school's stylized religious art through its use of gold leaf and iconic composition. The work's iconography of Christ's Resurrection reflects Orthodox theological emphasis on triumph over death, situating it within post-Byzantine devotional practices. Scholarship situates Victor of Crete within the 17th-century Cretan artistic tradition that blended Byzantine conventions with emerging Venetian influences, though his conservative style contrasted with contemporary Western European movements.
The painting's enduring presence in Russian imperial collections underscores the transnational appreciation of Cretan icons during the period.
Overview
Created in 1673 by the Cretan painter Victor of Crete, this tempera panel presents a compact, circular composition of the Resurrection scene. The work belongs to the later phase of the Cretan school, a tradition that merged Byzantine iconography with influences from Venetian painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Victor (Greek: Βίκτωρ; 1630/1635 – 1697) was a painter active during the 17th century.
