The icon “In thee Rejoiceth” in the Byzantine museum of Athens and Cretan iconography.

Abstract

This important icon from Cappadocia, the main subject of which is the liturgical hymn “(All Creation) Rejoices in Thee,” is probably datable to the early 15th century. It is distinguished for the originality of its composition and meticulous miniature artistry. Iconographic analysis shows the close relationship between the pictures and Late Byzantine and Post-Byzantine wall paintings and icons from Crete, making it likely that the work was painted in Chandax, a conclusion strengthened by the small number of Western loans and other elements familiar to Cretan art. Some representations featuring Sinaite iconography, and the presence of the monk Theoleptos, who was either the owner or the dedicator of the icon, indicate a connection with Sinai monastery’s dependency of Hagia Aikaterine in Heraklion. As concerns the archetypal scene of “In Thee Rejoiceth,” the evidence allows us to assume that it was painted in Constantinople post-1360 at the initiative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.