ОЛОВЕН ПАНДАНТИВ С БОГОРОДИЦА ОДИГИТРИЯ
LEAD PENDANT WITH THE VIRGIN HODIGITRIA

Summary/Abstract: The pendant, the object of the present work, presents a waist-length image of the Virgin Hodigitria with the Child on her left hand found at the Shumen region (Fig. 1). On both sides of the composition are written letters in abbreviation indicating the characters depicted - the Mother of God (ΜΡ-ΘΥ) and Christ (IC-XC). The letter signs are difficult to discern, but the well-known iconographic images offer an indisputable interpretation. On the reverse side of the pendant is an equal-armed Greek cross with one dot between the arms - a symbol of the Mother of God. A similar lead pendant, dated to the 11th-12th centuries, was found during excavations, west of the church of the Karnobat fortress. The temple occupies the highest place on the hill and dates back to the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. Around the period of Byzantine rule (XI-XII c.) the current lead pendant should also be assigned. The present monument, a product of local manufacture, is distinguished from the proportional and strictly linear images of metropolitan art. The influences and ways in which the perception of certain samples and models from the leading centers is not direct, but is refracted through local traditions and practices in the production of similar items. Works of Byzantine applied art serve as a standard that is successfully multiplied and with advanced technology in an environment different from the place of origin of the original model. The influence exerted by Byzantium spread far beyond the boundaries of the empire and is proven by the cultural development of the various communities. The examples indicate that the Virgin Hodegitria scene is represented on the lead pendant. The iconographic features of the image bring it closer to those on the lead seals, which, together with the similar monument found at the Karnobat fortress, determine the time of production and use of the present pendant to the XI-XII centuries. This is also the time when the iconographic type of the Virgin Hodigitria was already established and received a defining importance for Byzantine art, as one of the most important and preferred subjects.

• Details
• Contents