Byzantine Icon Fragment: Theotokos

Byzantine Icon Fragment: Theotokos 1

Material/Specs: Tempera paint on wood panel, Gold leaf.

Context & Provenance

When It Was Found (Creation Context)

Recovered from the rubble after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade (1204), later found in a Venetian monastery collection.

Country & Location of Origin

Constantinople (Byzantine Empire)

Real History & Interpretation

Icons were central to Orthodox worship, considered windows to the divine. This fragment exhibits the characteristic stylized gold leaf background and deeply solemn expression of the Middle Byzantine style, created just prior to the Latin occupation which often led to the destruction or theft of such works.

Image Licensing Note: All visuals for artifacts in this collection are assumed to be licensed under Creative Commons or Public Domain for educational display purposes.