Michael Damaskenos or Michail Damaskenos ( el, Μιχαήλ Δαμασκηνός, 1530/35–1592/93) was a leading post-Byzantine

Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, an ...

painter. He is a major representative of the

Cretan School Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becomi ...

of painting that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. Painters

Georgios Klontzas Georgios Klontzas ( el, Γεώργιος Κλώντζας, 1535-1608) also known as George Klontzas and Zorzi Cloza dito Cristianopullo. He was a scholar, painter, and manuscript illuminator. He is one of the most influential artists of the post-B ...

and Damaskenos were major contributors to the

during the same period. Damaskinos traveled all over the Venetian Empire painting. He remained loyal to his Greek roots stylistically but incorporated some Italian elements in his work. He was strongly influenced by the Venetian school. He painted parts of the Cathedral of

San Giorgio dei Greci San Giorgio dei Greci ( el, Ἅγιος Γεώργιος τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ´Agios Geórgios ton Ellínon, Saint George of the Greeks) is a church in the ''sestiere'' (neighborhood) of Castello, Venice, northern Italy. It was the center of ...

. Damaskenos has 100 known works. He influenced the works of

Theodore Poulakis Theodore Poulakis ( el, Θεόδωρος Πουλάκης; 1622–1692) was a Greek Renaissance painter and teacher. He is considered the father of the Heptanese School and one of the most prolific painters of Venetian Crete. Poulakis was a me ...

Life and work

Agia Paraskevi by Michael Damaskenos (16th c

Damaskinos was born in Candia (

Herakleion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

), his father was George Damaskinos. According to legend, Damaskinos spent some time living and working in Vrontisi Monastery, where six of his icons were kept until 1800. Damaskinos moved to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

in the 1560s, while he was there he learned miniature painting. He traveled extensively throughout

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. From contracts we know he briefly stayed in Sicily from 1569 to 1571. Afterward, he traveled back to Venice. He was a member of the Greek Brotherhood of Venice from 1577 to 1582. He painted icons for the

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Cathedral of

in Venice. He tried to become a member of the council of the confraternity. He was unsuccessful. During the same period, he worked for both Catholic institutions and executed private commissions. He became friends with sculptor Alessandro Vittoria. He sold a collection of drawings to him which he amassed from other Italian artists. Namely the Mannerist

Parmigianino Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, B ...

. He was also familiar with

Palma Giovane Iacopo Negretti (1548/50 – 14 October 1628), best known as Jacopo or Giacomo Palma il Giovane or simply Palma Giovane ("Young Palma"), was an Italian painter from Venice and a notable exponent of the Venetian school. After Tintoretto's death ...

and may have had some contact with the workshop of

Tintoretto Tintoretto ( , , ; born Jacopo Robusti; late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594) was an Italian painter identified with the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized the speed wit ...

. Some of his works are clearly influenced by Paolo Veronese,

and

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

. Many of the Greek painters were influenced by the Venetian school. He returned to Candia around 1583. His only daughter Antonia married painter Ioannis Mavrikas-Mandouphos or Yannas Mantoufos. Damaskinos stayed in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and worked mainly in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

and the Ionian Islands. He was invited to return to Venice by the Greek Orthodox Confraternity. They wanted to commission him to paint the dome of

. He declined the invitations for personal reasons. Extensive work was later completed at the church

by famous painter Emmanuel Tzane-Bounialis. He was influenced by Damaskinos. Damaskinos works were characteristic of the traditional Byzantine style. He used a particular rose color that characterized his paintings, his figure dimensions were defined by only a few brush strokes. He drew on wood but never marble thrones which was typical in the

. Damaskinos was also the first artist to introduce paler flesh tones to post-Byzantine painting and it was one of the stylistic features of his work which proved highly influential from the second half of the sixteenth century and onwards. Damaskinos signed his works: ΧΕΙΡ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ or ΧΕΙΡ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ, ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΧΕΙΡ or even ΠΟΙΗΜΑ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΔΑΜΑΣΚΗΝΟΥ (creation of Michael Damaskinos). Damaskinos worked extensively on the Ionian Islands. He contributed to the fusion of the

and the Heptanese School of painting. He influenced the works of

. Famous Greek Painter and theorist Panagiotis Doxaras in his book ''The Art of Painting'' published in 1720 considered Damaskinos to be one of the most important painters. Speake, 2021, p. 443-444

San Giorgio dei Greci

Twenty-five of his major paintings are located in Venice. Damaskinos completed works for the church

between 1560-1583. Twenty of his works are part of the church San Giorgio dei Greci. Eighteen of his paintings are part of the iconostasis. The Archangel Michael is portrayed in one of the icons. The dodekaorto also known as the

Great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter), is the greatest of all holy days and as such it is called the "feast of feasts". Immediately below it in importance, there is a group of Twelve Great Fe ...

is featured in nine of the paintings. Two of his paintings are behind the iconostasis within the holy sanctuary. The Hellenic Institute of Venice has four of his paintings. The research facility and museum are associated with

. One of his paintings ''

Wedding at Cana The transformation of water into wine at the wedding at Cana (also called the marriage at Cana, wedding feast at Cana or marriage feast at Cana) is the first miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John. In the Gospel account, Jesus Chris ...

'' is part of the collection at the

Museo Correr The Museo Correr () is a museum in Venice, northern Italy. Located in St. Mark's Square, Venice, it is one of the 11 civic museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia. The museum extends along the southside of the square on the upper ...

in Venice.

Gallery

Traditional

File:Damaskenos Michael - Four military saints - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Four military saints'' File:John the Angel of Desert, circle of Michael Damaskenos (16th c., Pushkin museum).jpg, John the Angel of Desert File:Damaskenos Saint-George-and-Saint-Demetrius.jpg, Saint George and Saint Demetrius File:S.Athanasius by M.Damaskenos (late 16th c.).jpg, Saint Athanasius File:Saint-Luke-Painting-the-Blessed-Virgin.jpg, Saint Luke and the Virgin Mary File:TheiaLeitourgia MihDamaskinos MouseioArhiepiskKritis.jpg, Divine Liturgy File:Μιχαήλ Δαμασκηνός - Α΄ Οικουμενική Σύνοδος 7741.jpg, The First Council of Nicea File:Ariusz.JPG, Arius - detail of Byzantine icon depicting the First Council of Nicaea

Venetian Cretan School

File:Le_nozze_di_Cana_-_Michele_Damaskinos_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg, The Wedding of Cana File:Michael Damaskinos The Beheading of St John the Baptist.png, The Beheading of St John the Baptist File:Μιχαήλ Δαμασκηνός - Μυστικός Δείπνος 0631.jpg, The Last Supper File:The Crucifixion of St Andrew by Michael Damaskenos (Byzantine museum).jpg, The Crucifixion of St Andrew File:Micheal Damaskinos Saints Sergius, Bacchus and Justina of Padua.png, Saints Sergius, Bacchus and Justina

Notable Works

* The Last Supper (Damaskinos) * Wedding at Cana (Damaskinos) * Crucifixion of Saint Andrew (Damaskinos) * Adoration of the Kings (Damaskinos) * Stoning of Stephen (Damaskinos) * Virgin of the Burning Bush (Damaskinos) * Tribute to the Eucharist (Damaskinos)

External links

Museum of St. Catherine/Museum of Christian Art in Heraklion

The painter Michael Damaskenos

Cretan Icon Painting up to the Fall of Candia

Istituto Ellenico di Studi Byzantini and Postbyzantini di Venezia

Collection of Agia Aikaterini of SinaiByzantium: faith and power (1261-1557)
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Damaskinos (see index)

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Damaskinos, Michael 1530s births 1590s deaths Greek painters Artists from Heraklion Cretan Renaissance painters 16th-century Greek people Place of death unknown 16th-century Greek painters