Greek Orthodox painter (19th century) – Portable triptych with Madonna Hodegetria and four saints.

Greek Orthodox painter (19th century) – Portable triptych with Madonna Hodegetria and four saints.

30,5 x 19 cm (closed), 30,5 x 37 cm (open).

Tempera on panel, fold-out triptych structure.

The travel triptych is a devotional format of Byzantine tradition, intended for the private prayer of clergy, pilgrims, or high-ranking faithful. The three-panel structure—a fixed central panel and two hinged side panels—allows the painted surfaces to be closed and protected during transport.
The external side of the doors, visible when the triptych is closed, bears the Greek inscription IC XC / NI KA (“Jesus Christ conquers”) painted in brush, alongside a processional cross on a trilobate base symbolizing Golgotha: an essential iconographic program, with a clear apotropaic function, which immediately identifies the object as an instrument of Orthodox Christian devotion.
When the triptych is opened, the Theotokos stands out in the center, according to the iconographic type of the Hodegetria ("She who shows the Way"): the Virgin, wrapped in a burgundy-red maphorion, holds the blessing Child. The Greek inscriptions identify the figures: ΘΥ (Theou) and IC XC (Jesus Christ). The side panels depict four saints with golden halos, identified by partially legible inscriptions, dressed in blue and red robes according to the Eastern iconographic color convention.
The lively palette — ochre, red lead, green, gold — and the popular workmanship of the painting hark back to the Greek or Balkan iconographic workshops of the 19th century, active in the Aegean or Ionian area.

Condition report: Original panel. Widespread paint loss, abrasions, and peeling, particularly on the side panels. The exterior of the panels has exposed primer in large areas. Patina consistent with the age of the work.

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