Madre della Consolazione

1490 · Private collection

religious

Towards the end of the 15th century, a new kind of Mother-of-God icon appeared in Cretan icon-painting. It quickly became very widespread and remained extremely popular with artists and patrons until well into the 17th century. This type is known as the "Madre della Consolazione" (Mother of Consolation) and is distinguished by a striking Italian influence.

About the Artist

Nikolaos Tsafouris

? – 1501

Greek icon painter who was active in Crete. He signed several icons, and his name appears in Venetian documents. Nikolaos Tzafouris was head of a workshop in Crete, then under Venetian rule and known as the Regno di Candia. He produced small devotional paintings, often signed, to be pedaled by the so called madonneri in Venice and he specialized in images of the Madonna and Child holding a small globe, thought to be imbued with healing properties. The artist combined popular Western imagery with the Byzantine iconography of his homeland.

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