Icon of Saint Empress Theodora holding the Hodegetria

Name: Icon of Saint Empress Theodora holding the Hodegetria
Brand: Lizzeny
Availability: LimitedAvailability

Greek icon of Saint Empress Theodora on a gold background, seated on a throne and holding an icon of the Virgin Mary. - view 1

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Uncommon (5/10)

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QUICK FACTS

Type

Museum Object

DESCRIPTION

A Greek Orthodox devotional icon painted on a wooden panel. The central figure is Empress Theodora, enthroned and crowned, wearing imperial red and gold vestments. She holds an open scroll in her right hand and a smaller icon of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child (the Hodegetria) in her left. The background is finished in gold leaf with Greek inscriptions identifying the figures. The throne is flanked by stylized cherubim and supported by imperial eagle motifs.

CULTURAL ECHOES

Where This Object Echoes

Byzantine/Orthodox9th Century to present

Traditional hagiographic portraiture used for liturgical and personal devotion.

Ritual & Ceremonial Use

•Veneration during the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
•Placement in a home 'Icon Corner' (Krasny Ugol).

Meaning Through Time

9th Century

A radical political and theological statement of defiance against the state.

Modern

A symbol of historical continuity and traditional religious identity.

HISTORICAL STORY

Empress Theodora (c. 815 – 867 AD) is celebrated in the Orthodox Church for ending the second period of Byzantine Iconoclasm in 843 AD. Her restoration of the veneration of icons is commemorated annually on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. This specific iconographic type depicts her as the defender of the ...

DID YOU KNOW?

Theodora was originally a 'hidden' iconophile who kept icons under her pillow despite her husband's iconoclastic laws.

The ceremony she initiated in 843 AD is still celebrated by Orthodox Christians today as the 'Triumph of Orthodoxy'.

The double-headed eagle on the throne is a symbol of the Byzantine Empire's dominion over both East and West.

MATERIAL & CONDITION

Surface

Aged tempera or oil on a gold-leafed wooden panel. The surface shows fine craquelure and some minor abrasions consistent with mid-range age.

Weight & Feel

Solid and substantial, typical of a dense wooden substrate.

Condition

Good condition overall. Notable wear on the edges of the panel and some darkening of the varnish. Minor surface scratches are visible in the gold field.