Two Italian Icons of the 13th Century

On 29 May, 2002, the World Museum Masterpieces at the Hermitage program presented an exhibition of two anonymous Italian icons of the 13th century, Virgin with Child and St. Nicholas with scenes of his life, brought from San Verano Church in Peccioli, Italy. The exhibition is organized by the State Hermitage Museum in cooperation with the Peccioli Municipality. These works, created in Pisa, are excellent examples, the first, of the so-called Hodegetria type (Virgin with Child), the second, of a ''laudatory'' icon (St. Nicholas with scenes from his life). Such icons also obtained in medieval Russia where they were called ''biographical''.
Artists' names very rarely occur in 13th century works when the master's individuality was not recognized. Iconographers followed the will of God, rather than their clients. The Hermitage has very few Italian icons of this period; this adds to the appeal of the two works showed in the exhibition.
T.K. Kustodiyeva, Exhibition Curator, Senior Researcher, West European Art Department, State Hermitage Museum

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Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky at the opening of the exhibition

At the exhibition

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