The Virgin and Child Enthroned is a tempera painting created by Spyridon Romas. He was a Greek painter from the island of Corfu and a prominent member of the Heptanese School active from 1745 to 1786 in

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

Lecce Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Twenty-five of his works survived according to research completed by the Hellenic Institute. One of few Greek painters that changed his style completely Romas transitioned from the Heptanese School to the British style of painting. He traveled to London, England around 1770, and remained in the country until his death. Romas painted several portraits but also maintained art. An important iconostasis containing most of his works is preserved in Livorno, Italy at the Museo della Città di Livorno (Museum of the City of Livorno). The Virgin and Child enthroned was an important theme painted by both Italian and Greek Byzantine painters.

Cretan Renaissance 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 ...

painters and Greek Baroque painters depicted the sacred figures in their works. Important works were completed by

Andreas Ritzos Andreas Ritzos ( el, Ανδρέας Ρίτζος 1421-1492) also known as (Rico, Ricio, Rizo). He was a Greeks, Greek icon painter, from Crete. Ritzos is considered one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School. He was affiliated with Angel ...

and

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 ...

namely '' The Virgin Pantanassa''. The painting style slowly evolved with

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 ...

and his brother

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 ...

both artists refined the Cretan School and brought the theme into the Heptanese School. One example is ''

Lady the Lambovitissa ''Lady the Lambovitissa'' is a tempera painting by Emmanuel Tzanes. Tzanes was a Greek painter active from 1625 to 1690. His artistic periods can be broken into three parts. The Cretan Period (1625-1647), The Corfu Period (1647-1655), and the ...

''. Spyridon adopted the technique prevalent on the Ionian Islands in the middle of the 1700s further refining the painting technique. The painting method was in demand in different Greek churches in Italy namely the church of the Holy Trinity in Livorno and the Chiesa Greco-Ortodossa di San Nicola in Lecce, Sicily. The current painting is in Livorno, Italy at the Museo della Città di Livorno (Museum of the City of Livorno).

Description

The work of art was completed in 1764 for the Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Livorno, Italy. It is part of a well-preserved iconostasis. The painting was completed using gold leaf, wood panel, and tempera paint. The height is 117.5 cm (46.3 in.) and the width is 78.5 cm (30.9 in.) nearly the same size as '' The Holy Trinity'' completed by Romas for the same church. In 1942, the church was torn down because of a city rehabilitation project, and the works of art were restored and moved to a museum. The icon is an epic depiction of the craftsmanship of the Heptanese School. The celestial heavenly throne features a shell-like decoration common to the works of

Filippo Lippi Filippo Lippi ( – 8 October 1469), also known as Lippo Lippi, was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento (15th century) and a Carmelite Priest. Biography Lippi was born in Florence in 1406 to Tommaso, a butcher, and his wife. He was orp ...

and

. The ''

'' features the complex geometric structure. The throne follows the lines of the rococo style and is elaborately decorated with angels. The Virgins robe features gold trim, floating ripples, folds of fabric, and striations with delicate contours. The drapery folds are more in line with the painting by

rather than the traditional Cretan style. The painter uses a brilliant combination of gold, red, blue, and green on her robe. Both figures feature gold halos. The Christ child has curly hair and holds a round sphere with a cross. The sphere with the cross held by the Christ child was a common theme in

paintings it symbolized earth as a heavenly dominion. Christ's attire features decorative patterns on his robe and pillow. The facial features of both heavenly beings exhibit complex refined detail exemplary of the anatomy prevalent in paintings of the Heptanese School. Romas implemented a complex shadowing method adding refined realism.

Gallery

File:Konstantinos Tzanes Virgin and Child.png, Virgin and Child Enthroned

Konstantinos Konstantinos or Constantinos (Κωνσταντίνος, ''Konstantínos'') is a Greek male given name. * Konstantinos (born 1972), occultist * Konstantinos "Kosta" Barbarouses (born 1990), New Zealand footballer * Konstantinos Chalkias (born 1 ...

File:Lady the Lambovitissa.png,

File:Madonna and Child (Filippo Lippi).jpg, Virgin and Child inside niche

Traditional

File:The Virgin Pantanassa Andreas Ritzos.png, The Virgin Pantanassa Ritzos File:Georgios Klontzas Virgin and Child Enthroned.png, Virgin and Child Enthroned Klontzas

References

Bibliography

* * *{{cite journal, last=Voulgaropoulou, first=Margarita, author-link=, date=2018, title=Cross-Cultural Encounters in the Twilight of the Republic of Venice: The Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in Višnjeva, Montenegro, journal= Journal of Modern Greek Studies, volume=36, issue=1, pages=25–69 , url=https://cems.ceu.edu/sites/cems.ceu.edu/files/media_browser/project_muse_691822.pdf, location=Baltimore, Maryland, publisher= Johns Hopkins University Press, doi=10.1353/mgs.2018.0001, s2cid=85535270 18th-century paintings Paintings of the Heptanese School Paintings in Livorno