''Saint Mark'' is a tempera-on-wood painting created c. 1657 by

Emmanuel Tzanes Emmanuel Tzanes ( el, Εμμανουήλ Τζάνες, 1610 – 28 March 1690), also known as Bounialis ( el, Μπουνιαλής) Emmanuel Tzane-Bounialis, Emmanuel Zane, and Emmanuel Tzane. He was a Greek Renaissance painter. He was an a ...

. Tzanes was a Cretan painter who migrated to Corfu and Venice. He settled in Venice with his brothers

Konstantinos Tzanes Konstantinos Tzanes ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Τζάνες, 1633 – 1685; also known as Bounialis ( el, Μπουνιαλής) Konstantinos Tzane-Bounialis, Konstantinos Zane, or Konstantinos Tzane) was a Greek Renaissance painter. He ...

and poet Marinos Tzanes. Konstantinos was a famous painter. Their combined existing works number over 150. Emmanuel replaced Greek painter

Philotheos Skoufos Philotheos Skoufos el, Φιλόθεος Σκούφος also known as Filotheos Skoufos. Philotheos was a Greek painter, educator and clergyman during the 17th century. He collaborated with Emmanuel Tzanes on several pieces while he was in Corfu ...

as the priest of San Giorgio De Greco.

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

is the patron saint of Venice. His remains were moved to Venice from Egypt. Countless Italian painters painted the subject matter. He was considered one of the first historiographers of the new Christian religion. He was associated with the

Apostle Peter An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

. His gospel consists of collections of miracle stories, controversy stories, parables, and a passion narrative. He founded the first church of Alexandria Egypt. Saint Mark is often depicted with a Lion. The winged Lion of Saint Mark is a symbol of Venice. The symbol also represents the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Vittore Carpaccio painted the ''Lion of Saint Mark.'' Venetian masters

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

and

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 with ...

both created paintings of Saint Mark. Titian's '' St. Mark Enthroned'' and

's ''

Finding of the Body of Saint Mark The ''Finding of the Body of Saint Mark'' or ''Discovery of the Body of Saint Mark'' is a painting by Tintoretto. Dated to between 1562 and 1566, it is part of a cycle of paintings of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice. It is now held in the P ...

'' were symbols of Venice. Andrea Mantegna also painted his own notable version of ''

St Mark Mark the Evangelist ( la, Marcus; grc-gre, Μᾶρκος, Mârkos; arc, ܡܪܩܘܣ, translit=Marqōs; Ge'ez: ማርቆስ; ), also known as Saint Mark, is the person who is traditionally ascribed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark. Accor ...

''.

St Mark's Basilica The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark ( it, Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica ( it, Basilica di San Marco; vec, Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Catholic Chu ...

is one of the most important churches in Venice. The church stands as an emblem of Saint Mark and the traditional Greek Italian Byzantine style. Two prominent greek painters affiliated with

were

Thomas Bathas Thomas Bathas ( el, Θωμάς Μπαθάς, 1554 – 1599; also known as Tomios or Tomio, Batta Tornio) was a Greek painter, educator, and Vikar. He employed the maniera greca in some of his work but he also broke from tradition by employi ...

and

Nikolaos Philanthropinos Nikolaos Philanthropinos ( el, Νικόλαος Φιλανθρωπηνός, 1380–1385 – 1435–1450), also known as Nicolaos Philanthropenos and Nicolaus Filantropinó or Philastropino was a Greek Byzantine painter. He was active in Crete, Ven ...

. Tzanes's painting is a testimony of the painter's loyalty to his new home. The painting is currently at the Benaki Museum in Athens Greece. The painting was a Gift from Damianos Kyriazis.

Description

The painting was created with egg tempera and gold leaf on wood panel. The icon was created around 1657 in Venice. The height of the painting is 66 cm (26 in) and the width is 54 cm (21.2 in). The painting is one of the signed works of Tzanes. The floor resembles Damaskinos's tiled floors. Both ''

The Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

'' and the '' Wedding at Cana'' featured tiled floors in a similar manner. The floor allows viewers to visually establish the foreground, the middle ground, and the background. Saint Mark sits on his lion. He holds an open book in his left hand and a quill pen in his right. The painter uses bright colors following the Italian

cangiante According to the theory of the art historian Marcia B. Hall, which has gained considerable acceptance, ''cangiante'' is one of the canonical painting modes of the Renaissance; i.e. one of the four modes of painting colours available to Italian Hig ...

technique. The Saint's dark blue robe floats in mid-air while he looks to his left envisioning the story of Jesus. His robe is painted with dark and light blue colors. The painter creates the perfect illusion of shadows. His bright orange shirt folds naturally. The painter adds human anatomical features to Mark, his veins are clearly visible. Mark's face gazes into space and the painter clearly expresses his facial features. His nose, mouth, and eyes appear to establish space. The brushstrokes of his beard clearly establish lines, contours, and grooves. The painter clearly reveals his hair waves. In the upper right corner, the hand of God blesses the evangelist. The cloud is painted with detail. To our left a column and an archway are present. Both are painted with clear lines and shapes. There is a small bookshelf under the column and archway. Inside the bookshelf, a small ink jar and book are visible. The lion is painted in careful detail. The lion's mane is clearly visible, it is curly and wavy. The fur is distinguishable from the rest of the lion's hair. His claws are close to Mark's foot. The lion's claws are carefully painted. The lion has a majestic expression on its face while holding an open book with Greek letters.

Gallery

File:Leone marciano andante - Vittore Carpaccio - Google Cultural Institute.jpg, Lion of Saint Mark Carpaccio File:Andrea Mantegna 087.jpg, Saint Mark

Mantegna Mantegna is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Andrea Mantegna ( – 1506), Italian painter * Gia Mantegna (born 1990), American actress * Joe Mantegna (born 1947), American actor See also * Mantegna Tarocchi The Mantegna Tarocc ...

References

{{Emmanuel Tzanes Paintings depicting Mark the Evangelist 17th-century paintings Paintings in Greece Cretan Renaissance paintings Paintings by Emmanuel Tzanes Books in art Lions in art