Hodegetria
Hodegetria is one of the most frequent representations of the iconographic theme “The Virgin and Child”. The name, meaning “the Guide”, or “She who shows the way”, is given by the Virgin’s right hand gesture, pointing towards the Child she holds with her left arm to her breast, guiding thus the onlooker to focus his attention on Him. Hodegetria representations are part of the iconographic Byzantine formula of Madonna and Child, sharing common traits with other representations of the same category: schematic anatomy, face emphasized by enormous eyes, small, severely tight lipped mouth and a delicate straight nose. Also similar are the type of clothing and their coloring: blue tunic and red mantle, usually delicately decorated in gold and rigidily draped around the body, indicating the heavy texture of the cloth. The Child, who, accordingly to the Byzantine tradition, is depicted like an adult in miniature, wears a tunic and a chiton, holding a scroll in his left hand while blessing with the right one.
Hodegetria is one of the most frequent representations of the iconographic theme “The Virgin and Child”. The name, meaning “the Guide”, or “She who shows the way”, is given by the Virgin’s right hand gesture, pointing towards the Child she holds with her left arm to her breast, guiding thus the onlooker to focus his attention on Him. Hodegetria representations are part of the iconographic Byzantine formula of Madonna and Child, sharing common traits with other representations of the same category: schematic anatomy, face emphasized by enormous eyes, small, severely tight lipped mouth and a delicate straight nose. Also similar are the type of clothing and their coloring: blue tunic and red mantle, usually delicately decorated in gold and rigidily draped around the body, indicating the heavy texture of the cloth. The Child, who, accordingly to the Byzantine tradition, is depicted like an adult in miniature, wears a tunic and a chiton, holding a scroll in his left hand while blessing with the right one.
