What this record describes
The small scale of this painting and its protective covers facilitated its use as a portable icon. The hollow wooden cylinder attached to the body allowed the painting to be suspended from the owner's neck. The practice of wearing icons of the Virgin as pendants is documented in written sources as early as the fifteenth century. The main scene on this doubled-sided pendant commemorates the feast of Däbrä Metmaq. According to the "Miracles of Mary," this feast was instituted to celebrate an event that occurred annually in the church of Dayr al-Magtas, Egypt. For five days each spring, Mary miraculously appeared inside the cupola of the church, bathed in light and surrounded by angels. The main panel of this icon captures the visionary character of this event by enclosing the Virgin in a band of yellow light. Seraphim surround the outer border of red. The archangels Michael and Gabriel, de
Quoted from the Wikimedia Commons file page, written by the uploader.
- Source date
- late 17 th century
- Date evidence
- Date from the Wikimedia Commons file record, which dates the file rather than the object.
- Holding institution
- The Walters Art Museum
- Catalogue source
- Wikimedia Commons
- Source record
- commons-18842852