Μια καρδερίνα. Ακατάγραφη λεπτομέρεια στην εικόνα της Γέννησης της Βενετίας και λίγα σχόλια για τα άλλα μικρά ζώα

Abstract

A little goldfinch, carduelis carduelis, so far unknown in Byzantine and post-Byzantine art, is recorded for the first time, perched on a dry tree branch close to the Virgin, on the well-known Cretan icon of the Nativity in the Museum of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies, Venice. The painter follows western patterns from medieval Bestiaries and depictions of the Virgin and Child with the goldfinch, symbolising the future Passion of Christ. The naturalistic rendering of the little bird as well as of the other small animals (hare/rabbit, stag), often invested in Western painting with religious symbolism, follows models established by Pisanello and Dürer.