Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium - Softcover

Pentcheva, Bissera V.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0271064005 ISBN 13: 9780271064000

Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2014

Synopsis

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 the 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.

About this title

About the Author

Bissera V. Pentcheva is Assistant Professor of Art History at Stanford University .

Edition details

• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0271064005
• ISBN 13: 9780271064000
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 312