Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium

by Bissera V. Pentcheva

The Virgin Mary embodied power rather than maternal tenderness in the Byzantine world. Known as the Mother of God, she became a guarantor of military victory and hence of imperial authority. In this pioneering book, Bissera Pentcheva connects the fusion of Marian cult and imperial rule with the powers assigned to images of this All Holy woman.

Drawing upon a wide range of sources and images from coins and seals to monumental mosaics, Pentcheva demonstrates that a fundamental shift in Byzantine cult--from relics to icons--took place during the late tenth century. Further, she shows that processions through the city of Constantinople provided the context in which Marian icons emerged as centerpieces of imperial claims to divine protection.

Pentcheva breaks new ground, contending that devotion to Marian icons should be considered a much later development than is generally assumed. This new perspective has important implications not only for the history of imperial ritual but also for understanding the creation of new Marian iconography during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

Centered upon fundamental questions of art, religion, and politics, Icons and Power makes a vital contribution to the entire field of medieval studies. It will be of interest as well to all those concerned with the cult of Mary in the Christian traditions of the East and West.

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2006

Reviews

[bautista · Rating 3 out of 5]

algo reiterativo tal vez

[the reader before sleeping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Semplicemente bellissimo. Premettendo che è un libro da specialisti di storia dell’arte e nello specifico medievale e bizantina, questo libro ti apre un mondo di interpretazioni sull’immagine della Vergine, incredibili. É come rileggere la figura della Madre di Dio che, da icona materna, sofferente ecc. come siamo abituati a conoscerla, diviene la Signora della guerra, generale capo dell’esercito bizantino e Palladio per le vittorie militari dei Romani d’Oriente. Non credo sia esagerato dire che riscrive l’immagine che si ha della Theotokos e della sua venerazione nel medioevo. Lo rileggo con piacere trovando sempre spunti nuovi, consigliatissimo.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2