12. Byzantine Types and their Legacy

The twelfth film in the series focusing on one of Christianity’s central figures: The Virgin Mary.

It focuses on Byzantine types of the Virgin Mary and their legacy in the history of art. It discusses an ivory from Constantinople, Central Panel of Triptych with Mother of God Hodegetria (tenth / eleventh century), and Donatello’s Pazzi Madonna (c.1420), both in the Bode-Museum, Berlin, and Quinten Massys’ The Virgin Enthroned (c.1525) in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.

Presented by VCS Director Professor Ben Quash and Deputy Director Dr Jennifer Sliwka.

Artworks: Constantinople, Central Panel of Triptych with Mother of God Hodegetria, tenth / eleventh century, Ivory, inv. no. 2394, Bode-Museum, Berlin; Donatello, Pazzi Madonna, c.1420, Marble, inv. no. 51, Bode-Museum, Berlin; Quinten Massys, The Virgin Enthroned, c.1525, Oak, Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Kat. Nr. 561.

Part of the Series Unlocking Christian Art. Produced in partnership with the National Museums in Berlin, these short films tell the story of the Virgin Mary with the help of the treasures of the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie, both sculpture and painting. These films are designed to equip users to understand, read, and enjoy some of Europe’s greatest works of Christian art, as well as the texts that inspired them, and to encourage fresh interpretation and insight in today’s audiences.