Madonna del Rosario (Damaskinos)

Last updated
Madonna del Rosario
Greek: Μαντόνα ντελ Ροζάριο,
Italian: Madonna del Rosario
Madonna del Rosario Painting Michaelus Damaschinus.png
Artist Michael Damaskinos
Yearc. 1572
Mediumtempera on wood
SubjectMadonna and Child with the 15 mysteries of the Rosary
Dimensions334 cm× 217 cm(130.8 in× 85.4 in)
LocationMonastery of San Benedetto (Conversano), Conversano Bari, Italy
OwnerMonastery of San Benedetto (Conversano)

Madonna del Rosario was a painting made of egg tempera on a wood panel nearly 11 feet in height. The work of art was signed by Greek painter Michael Damaskinos and the painter's existing catalog features over 100 known works. Damaskinos was from the island of Crete and he was a prominent member of the Cretan school of painting. His contemporaries were Georgios Klontzas and El Greco. Damaskinos was known for integrating the Venetian style of painting with the maniera greca creating his own unique style. The Madonna del Rosario follows the Venetian style. The painter frequently traveled from Crete to Venice but also spent time painting in Sicily and Conversano from 1569 to 1575. He was familiar with the works of Mannerist Parmigianino and other Italian painters because he purchased a collection of drawings from his friend Italian sculptor Alessandro Vittoria. Damaskinos was influenced by the works of Venetian masters Palma Giovane, Paolo Veronese, Tintoretto and Titian. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

From the onset of early Christianity; knotted prayer ropes were used by the Desert Fathers to keep track of the number of times they said the Jesus prayer or the 150 psalms. Both Greek and Italian priests implemented a similar method in their monasteries. [5] Saint Dominic is originally credited for founding the Dominican Order and spreading and popularizing the rosary. [6] By the 15th century, Alanus de Rupe Dominican priest and theologian helped spread the devotion of the Rosary to many countries and established many Rosary confraternities before his death on September 8, 1475, and by the 1500s there were 15 mysteries of the Rosary, one for each of the 15 decades, and from the 16th to the early 20th century the structure of the Rosary remained essentially unchanged. The Rosary began to accumulate popularity during the 1500s and Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto painted his version of the 15 mysteries of the Rosary including a pictorial representation of each mystery in 1539 entitled Madonna of the Rosary (Lotto) . Pope Pius V issued Consueverunt Romani Pontifices on September 17, 1569, a papel degree formalizing the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. [7]

The mysteries are 15 scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ including the Annunciation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. They are categorized into three parts: the five joyful mysteries, the five sorrowful mysteries, and the five glorious mysteries. [8] Damaskinos painted his version three years after the papal decree in 1572. About two hundred fifty years later Italian painter Samuele Tatulli painted a version of Madonna Del Rosaria in Conversano, Italy and a second version of Madonna Del Rosaria appeared in Taranto Italy fifty-six miles away from Conversano resembling Damaskinos' version of the painting where rosary beads connect circular pictures of the mysteries of the Rosary. The veneration of the mysteries of the Rosary is similar to the pictorial veneration of the 24 components of the Akathist Hymn present in Virgin Glykofilousa with the Akathist Hymn (Tzangarolas) . Another important work featuring the Madonna Del Rosary with the 15 mysteries of the Rosary attributed to Damaskinos was completed in 1574 where the rosary surrounds small circular paintings of the mysteries. The work is in Molfetta, Italy, at the Basilica della Madonna dei Martiri at the Alter of Our Lady of the Rosary and is entitled Madonna of the Rosary among Saints, Pope Pius V, Bishop Maiorano, Cesare Gonzaga and Camilla Borromeo. [9] [10] [11] The Madonna del Rosario by Damaskinos is at the Monastery of San Benedetto in Conversano, Italy 65 kilometers away from Molfetta in the same Metropolitan region of Bari.

Description

The Alter of Madonna del Rosario Conversano - Convento di San Benedetto - 2023-09-11 10-19-41 001.JPG
The Alter of Madonna del Rosario

The painting is made of egg tempera on a wood panel and features a massive height of 334 cm (10.9 ft) and a width of 217 cm (85.4 in) hovering in the interior of the monastery at almost 11 feet. An earlier work completed by Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto stands at 12.5 feet entitled Madonna of the Rosary (Lotto) completed in 1539 and both paintings feature the 15 mysteries of the Rosary painted in circular form. Damaskinos also added five points to each circle and they resemble stars. A circular Rosary surrounds the important scene and Saint Dominic kneels on the right side of the Virgin Mary receiving the Rosary and he is typically featured in this position in many paintings of this nature. Each circle represents the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. Giorgio Vasari completed a version of Madonna of the Rosary in 1569 surrounding circular images with rosary beads similar to Damaskinos. [12] [13]

There are 15 circles beginning in the one o'clock position where The Annunciation is present in the first circle followed by The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, The Finding of the Christ Child in the Temple, The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, The Assumption and it ends with The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven in the 12 o'clock position in the fifteenth circle. [14]

The Virgin Mary sits elevated on stairs in the middle ground to her left and right are kneeling ecclesiastical figures. She is humbly dressed resembling the nuns and clouds in the background emit a heavenly ambience. Two angels hold up a mystical garment behind the Virgin Mary which radiates both celestial figures are busy distributing rosary to their left and right infant Jesus is naked resembling the putti. [13] [15]

Damaskinos' anatomical detail and complex three-dimensional figures escape the realm of the traditional maniera greca and the artist incorporates the prevalent Venetian painting styles. The musical ensemble at the uppermost portion of the painting eludes to the artist's maturity in defining space and painting the natural form of human figures. [13] [16] [15]

The work is a testimony of the painter's infusion of the Cretan School and Venetian Painting, technically the work does not belong to the Cretan School but the style heavily influenced his works and later works of the school. It is also one of few works of this style signed by the painter. The altar that houses the painting is also adorned with statues, spiral-decorated columns, and naturalistic species of birds, fruits, and flowers. The cherry of Conversano is also present it is the main fruit of the region. [17] [15]

Resembling Damaskinos' Work

See Also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosary</span> Catholic sacramental and Marian devotion

The Rosary, formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary, also known as the Dominican Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or beads used to count the component prayers. When referring to the prayer, the word is usually capitalized ; when referring to the prayer beads as an object, it is written with a lower-case initial letter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorenzo Lotto</span> Italian painter (c. 1480–1556/57)

Lorenzo Lotto was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He painted mainly altarpieces, religious subjects and portraits. He was active during the High Renaissance and the first half of the Mannerist period, but his work maintained a generally similar High Renaissance style throughout his career, although his nervous and eccentric posings and distortions represented a transitional stage to the Florentine and Roman Mannerists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice</span> Church in Venice, Italy

The Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, known in Venetian as San Zanipolo, is a Catholic minor basilica and Dominican conventual church in the Castello sestiere of Venice, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Vicentino</span> Italian painter

Andrea Vicentino was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period. He was a pupil of the painter Giovanni Battista Maganza. Born in Vicenza, he was also known as Andrea Michieli or Michelli. He moved to Venice in the mid-1570s and registered in the Fraglia or guild of Venetian painters in 1583. He worked alongside Tintoretto at the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, helping paint The Arrival of Henry III at Venice at the Sala delle Quattro Porte as well as works in the Sala del Senato and the Sala dello Scrutinio. He also painted the altarpiece Madonna of the Rosary for the Treviso Cathedral, God the Father with Three Theological Virtues (1598) for the church in Gambara, and St Charles Borromeo for a church in Mestre. Paintings by him exist in a number of galleries including the Raising of Lazarus at the National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ionian school (painting)</span> School of painting

The Heptanese school of painting succeeded the Cretan school as the leading school of Greek post-Byzantine painting after Crete fell to the Ottomans in 1669. Like the Cretan school, it combined Byzantine traditions with an increasing Western European artistic influence and also saw the first significant depiction of secular subjects. The school was based in the Ionian Islands, which were not part of Ottoman Greece, from the middle of the 17th century until the middle of the 19th century. The center of Greek art migrated urgently to the Ionian Islands but countless Greek artists were influenced by the school including the ones living throughout the Greek communities in the Ottoman Empire and elsewhere in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Damaskinos</span> Greek painter

Michael Damaskenos or Michail Damaskenos was a leading post-Byzantine Cretan painter. He is a major representative of the Cretan School of painting that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. Painters Georgios Klontzas and Damaskenos were major contributors to the Cretan School during the same period. Damaskinos traveled all over the Venetian Empire painting. He remained loyal to his Greek roots stylistically but incorporated some Italian elements in his work. He was strongly influenced by the Venetian school. He painted parts of the Cathedral of San Giorgio dei Greci. Damaskenos has 100 known works. He influenced the works of Theodore Poulakis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panagiotis Doxaras</span> Greek painter

Panagiotis Doxaras (1662–1729) also known as Panayiotis Doxaras, was an author and painter. He was a prolific member of the Heptanese School. He was influenced by early members of the movement namely: Elias Moskos, Theodoros Poulakis, Stephanos Tzangarolas, Spyridon Sperantzas and Victor. The Heptanese School evolved during the Baroque period and continued into the Late Baroque or Rococo. Doxaras’s son Nikolaos Doxaras continued the artistic movement into the Neoclassical era. Both Panagiotis and his son Nikolaos Doxaras refined the school. The school was heavily influenced by the Venetian Style. The Heptanese School also influenced Italian painting. Other artists Doxaras influenced were Nikolaos Kantounis. Panagioti’s teacher was famous painter Leos Moskos. He studied with him while he was in Venice. Doxaras painted notable portraits of Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg. He introduced Maniera Italiana to the Heptanese School drastically changing the style from the Maniera Greca. He is considered the father of the Greek Rococo and the Modern Greek Enlightenment in art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Poulakis</span> Greek painter

Theodore Poulakis was a Greek Renaissance painter and teacher. He is considered the father of the Heptanese School and one of the most prolific painters of Venetian Crete. Poulakis was a member of the Cretan School, his contemporary was Emmanuel Tzanes. Emmanuel Tzanes and Poulakis were active painters of the Cretan School until Candia, went to war with the Ottomans around 1649. Candia finally fell after twenty years of siege in 1669. Poulakis settled on the island of Corfu. Stephanos Tzangarolas was another famous painter in Corfu around the same period. Poulakis's works are likened to Andreas Pavias and Georgios Klontzas. Poulakis works exhibit qualities of the Venetian school. Over 130 of his paintings have survived and can be found all over the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Rosary</span> Prayer rope used by Catholics

There are differing views on the history of the rosary, a Catholic prayer rope, cord or chain used to count specific prayers, commonly as a Marian devotion. The exact origin of the rosary as a prayer is less than clear and subject to debate among scholars. The use of knotted prayer ropes in Christianity goes back to the Desert Fathers in the 3rd and early 4th centuries. These counting devices were used for prayers such as the Jesus Prayer in Christian monasticism. The period after the Council of Ephesus in 431 witnessed gradual growth in the use of Marian prayers during the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacro Monte di Varese</span> One of the nine sacri monti in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont

The Sacro Monte di Varese is one of the nine sacri monti in the Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont which were inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2003. It has an altitude of 807 metres above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andreas Ritzos</span> Greek icon painter

Andreas Ritzos also known as (Andreas Rico, Ricio or Rizo) was a Greek icon painter from Crete. Ritzos is considered one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School. He was affiliated with Angelos Akotantos. Most of his work stylistically follows the traditional maniera greca. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were also painters. He was one of the most influential painters of the Cretan School along with Andreas Pavias and Angelos Akotantos. He influenced the works of Georgios Klontzas, Nikolaos Tzafouris, Theophanes the Cretan, Michael Damaskinos and El Greco. According to the Institute for Neohellenic Research, sixty of his paintings have survived.

<i>Madonna of the Rosary</i> (Lotto) 1539 painting by Lorenzo Lotto

Madonna of the Rosary is a 1539 oil-on-canvas painting by the Italian artist Lorenzo Lotto, signed and dated below the Virgin Mary's feet ".L.LOTUS.MDXXXIX.".

<i>Madonna and Child enthroned with St. John the Baptist and St. Augustine</i> (Permeniates) Painting by Ioannis Permeniates

Madonna and Child enthroned with St. John the Baptist and St. Augustine is an oil painting by Greek painter Ioannis Permeniates. He was from Crete living in Venice. He was active during the first part of the 16th century. There are dozens of works attributed to the artist. He is a cross-over artist who painted in both the maniera greca and the Venetian style. Other similar artists were El Greco and Michael Damaskinos. Ioannis Permeniates's work was influenced by Vittore Carpaccio and Giovanni Bellini. His most notable painting is the Madonna and Child enthroned with St. John the Baptist and St. Augustine. Many Italian artists painted the same subject matter. The most famous painting depicting the subjects is the Madonna and Child with St John the Baptist and St Augustine by Petrus Perusinus. The Permeniates is part of the collection Museo Correr in Venice, Italy.

<i>Adoration of the Kings</i> (Damaskinos) Painting by Michael Damaskenos

Adoration of the Kings also known as the Adoration of the Magi is a popular tempera painting by Greek painter Michele Damaschino. The painting is roughly the same size as Damaschino's The Last Supper. Both paintings were created around the same period. Michele Damaschino painted in parts of Italy and Greece. He was primarily active in Heraklion, Sicily, and Venice. He is a major representative of the Cretan Renaissance. He was a Cretan Renaissance painter who painted in the Greek mannerisms prevalent at the time. He also blended the style with the Venetian technique creating a new prototype of painting. He was followed by countless artists both Greek and Italian. His version of the Adoration of the Kings is a very important painting because it reveals the mixture of painting styles prevalent in most of his works. The Adoration of the Kings is now in the Monastery of Agia Aikaterini in Heraklion, Crete. It is part of the collection of Saint Catherine's Monastery Mount Sinai, Egypt.

<i>Stoning of Stephen</i> (Damaskinos) Painting by Michael Damaskinos

The Stoning of Saint Stephen is an egg tempera and gold leaf painting created by Greek master Michael Damaskinos. He was a member of the Cretan school. He integrated Venetian painting with the Greek mannerisms prevalent at the time. Damaskinos was active in Heraklion, Sicily, Venice, and other parts of Italy. The Stoning of Stephen has been depicted by countless Greek and Italian painters. Saint Stephen was a protomartyr. He was the first martyr of Christianity. He was stoned to death for following the new faith. The painting is a depiction of that event.

<i>Catherine of Alexandria</i> (Palladas) Painting by Ieremias Palladas

Catherine of Alexandria is a tempera painting created by Ieremias Palladas. Palladas was a monk associated with Saint Catherine's sacred monastery in Egypt also known as Mount Sinai. He was a painter and teacher. His nephew became the Patriarch of Alexandria. His name was Gerasimos Palladas. Ieremias was a Sinaitic monk because of his association with Saint Catherine's monastery on Mount Sinai. The monastery encloses the site where it is assumed by Christians that Moses saw the burning bush. Ieremias was one of the most influential figures of his time. The Patriarch of Jerusalem Nectarius wrote about the painter in his archives.

<i>The Virgin Pantanassa</i> (Ritzos) Painting by Andreas Ritzos

The Virgin Pantanassa is a tempera painting by Andreas Ritzos. Ritzos was a Greek painter active on the island of Crete. He flourished from 1435 to 1492. The painter has an existing catalog of over sixty works attributed to him. He signed his works in both Greek and Latin. He is one of the most influential painters of the Cretan Renaissance. He painted in the traditional Greek-Italian Byzantine style. His work was also heavily influenced by Venetian painting. His teacher was Angelos Akotantos. He was also affiliated with Andreas Pavias. His son was famous Greek painter Nikolaos Ritzos. Ritzo's Italian contemporaries were Paolo Uccello and Fra Angelico. They all painted a mixture of the Greek-Italian Byzantine and Italian Renaissance styles. The art of Crete was heavily influenced by the founder of the Venetian school Paolo Veneziano.

<i>Virgin Glykofilousa</i> (Karantinos) Painting by Andreas Karantinos

Virgin Glykofilousa is an egg tempera painting by Andreas Karadinos. Karadinos was a Greek painter active from 1680 to 1740. He was a prominent member of the Heptanese school and a representative of the island of Kefalonia. His teacher was famous painter Stephanos Tzangarolas. Karadinos was an Archpresbyter. He was active during the Neo-Hellenikos Diafotismos and Greek Rococo period. One fresco and twenty-two of his paintings have survived. He was also a goldsmith. A unique inscription on a holy table at the church of Agios Spyridon in Kefalonia features important details about his life.

<i>Virgin Glykofilousa with the Akathist Hymn</i> (Tzangarolas) Painting by Stephanos Tzangarolas

The Virgin Glykofilousa with the Akathist Hymn is a tempera painting created by Greek painter Stephano Tzangarola. The work is a symbol of the craftsmanship of the Heptanese school and the evolution of Greek painting from the Byzantine style to the Cretan Renaissance style. Tzangarola was originally from Crete and migrated to Corfu. The Ionian Islands became the artistic center of the Greek world. He was active from 1675 to 1710 during the Greek Baroque period and Rococo. Twenty-two of his works survived. His student was famous Greek painter and Archpriest Andreas Karantinos.

<i>Tribute to the Eucharist</i> (Damaskinos) Painting by Michael Damaskenos

Tribute to the Eucharist was a painting made of egg tempera and gold leaf on a wood panel. The portable icon is attributed to Greek painter Michael Damaskinos. Damaskino's existing catalog features over 100 known works. He was a member of the Cretan school of painting. He was from the island of Crete. His contemporaries were Georgios Klontzas and El Greco. Damaskinos traveled all over Italy for over twenty years. He spent a significant amount of time in Venice. He adopted Italian mannerisms. He applied these new attributes to his paintings. He was friends with sculptor Alessandro Vittoria. He had a collection of drawings obtained from other Italian artists. Namely the Mannerist Parmigianino. He was also exposed to the magnificent works of Italian painter Raphael.

References

  1. ↑ Hatzidakis 1987, pp. 241–254.
  2. ↑ Speake 2021, pp. 443–444.
  3. ↑ Eugenia Drakopoulou (January 13, 2025). "Damaskinos Michail". Institute for Neohellenic Research. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  4. ↑ James 2010, p. 365.
  5. ↑ Kasten 2011, pp. 12–14.
  6. ↑ Kasten 2011, pp. 8–9.
  7. ↑ Kasten 2011, pp. 9–11.
  8. ↑ Kasten 2011, pp. 85–100.
  9. ↑ Staff Writers (August 14, 2006). "Madonna del Rosario Molfetta". madonnadeimartiri.it. Archived from the original on August 14, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  10. ↑ Antonella Negri (January 17, 2025). "Madonna del Rosario tra Santi, papa Pio V, vescovo Maiorano, Cesare Gonzaga e Camilla Borromeo dipinto" [Madonna of the Rosary among Saints, Pope Pius V, Bishop Maiorano, Cesare Gonzaga and Camilla Borromeo]. Italian Ministry of Culture. Archived from the original on January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  11. ↑ Katselakì, Andromache (1999). Εικόνα Παναγίας Γλυκοφιλούσας από την Κεφαλονιά στο Βυζαντινό Μουσείο [An Icon of the Panagia Glykophilousa from Kephalonia in the Byzantine Museum]. Athens: Journal of the Christian Archaeological Society ChAE 20 Period Delta. p. 380.
  12. ↑ Staff Writers (January 13, 2025). "Madonna del Rosario". Giorgio Cini Foundation. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 Eugenia Drakopoulou (January 13, 2025). "Madonna del Rosario". Institute for Neohellenic Research. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  14. ↑ Staff Writers (November 2011). "The Mysteries of the Rosary How to pray the 15 decade rosary". RosaryAndChaplets.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 Loukaki 2016, p. 161.
  16. ↑ Casper 2015, p. 66.
  17. ↑ Staff Writers (December 20, 2016). "Presentate Oggi in Anteprima le opere Restaurate del Monastero di San Benedetto a Conversano" [Restored Works from the Monastery of San Benedetto in Conversano]. Borderline 24 Il Giornale. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2025.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.