RITZOS, Andreas

(b. ~1422 Candia, d. ~1492 Crete)

Greek icon painter, born in Heraklion on the island of Crete, the son of a goldsmith. He is considered the greatest Cretan painter of the second half of the 15th century. His works provided models for subsequent generations of icon painters. Basically he worked in the Byzantine style, but he was influenced by other styles, too, including the Italian style of painting of the 14th century. He is mentioned in documents until the year 1492. His son, Nikolaos (1446-1503) was also an icon painter.

Mother of God Enthroned

This icon is the work of a late follower of Andreas Ritzos.

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The Dormition of the Virgin

Andreas Ritzos was a representative of the Cretan School of icon painting in the late fifteenth century.

This icon shows the established pattern for this subject in fifteenth-century Byzantine art.

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The Mother of God Enthroned

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The Mother of God of Passion

The icon with the motif “Mother of God of the Passion” was extraordinarily popular in the Cretan icon-painting of the late 15th and the 16th century, and is venerated both by Orthodox and by Catholic Christians.

This type takes its name “Mother of God of the Passion” from the fact that the Christ-child, sitting on the left arm of His mother, is turning towards the Archangel Gabriel, who is depicted floating in from the right holding out a Cross. From the other side the Archangel Michael approaches, holding further symbols of the Passion, the Spear and the Holy Sponge.

Possibly the “invention” or at least the popularisation of this icon type is due to the important painter Andreas Ritzos. Three signed Madonnas of the Passion by him are known. The painting style of these signed icons corresponds so closely to that of the Mother of God of the Passion in Recklinghausen as to allow an attribution of the latter to Andreas Ritzos too. In all the icons, a striking feature is the perfect technical execution, and the smooth surfaces of the flesh depiction, which are modelled by a large number of delicate, parallel white brush-strokes.

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