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Religious Artwork and Symbolism

With the conclusion of this year’s Lent and the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, the beauty of religious artwork has become more apparent to me. As explored in the foundation year art history courses at Marywood University this year, art and religion have been intertwined since the very beginning. Artwork was often used to depict religious matters until humanistic ideas emerged…

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The icon of the Virgin Hodegetria that you see in the picture is made with tempera on wood, but it is a riza, also called oklad, that distinguishes it from other images. Such metal covers serve three functions: they protect icons from candles and prevent the darkening of the surface; they direct the focus of a viewer; and, finally, they make icons more valuable because covers are often embellished with semi-precious or precious stones and pearls. The featured antique icon was sold for €2,000 by the Scandinavian auction house Bukowskis.

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Hodegetria of Smolensk, also known as Our Lady of Smolensk, was painted in c. 1500 by Dionisius, an icon painter of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is an iconographic depiction of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her arms. Nowadays, the icon is held in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. Dionisius’ version of the Theotokos of Smolensk stands as an example of refined icon painting technique and rich symbolism. The original icon of the Hodegetria type, however, is believed to have been lost long ago.