An Unknown Painting of Virgin and Child from the Church of St Peter in Split by Ioannes Permeniates

Inventar i liturgijska oprema crkve sv. Petra na Lučcu izgubljeni su 1944. godine kada je crkva srušena u savezničkom bombardiranju Splita. Nedavno pojavila slika Bogorodice s Djetom koja je bila spašena iz ruševina i potom spremljena na sigurno mjesto.gdje je ostala godinama. Uz analizu ikonografije i stila, pripisuje se slikarstvu tzv. madonera, umjetnika s otoka Krete, koji su u 16. i 17. stoljeću stvarali različite figuralne kompozicije spajajući elemente tradicionalnih bizantskih ikona i mletačkog renesansnog slikarstva. Zajedno sa slikama sv. Nikole i sv. Agneze iz samostana klarisa u Splitu pripisuje se kretskom slikaru iz prve pol. 16. stoljeća Ioannesu Permeniatesu.The church of Saint Peter in the suburb of Lučac just outside the historic core of Split was destroyed during the bombardments in 1944 together with all liturgic inventory. However, a painting of Virgin and Child executed in tempera on wooden support recently reappeared. The Virgin is presented in the traditional composition sitting on the stone bench in front of the golden background holding infant Jesus on her left side. The bareheaded Mary, dressed in her usual red and blue vestments, with modest ornamentation and without a veil, is holding the holy Child in both hands. Jesus himself sits almost diagonally across his mother’s lap with his right arm in a gesture of benediction alla latina while in the left one he holds a golden sphere surmounted with the cross. He is dressed in a golden himation with lumeggiature. His posture, garments and sphere repeat iconography of the Madre della Consolazione composition. Although the iconography of the painting combines types of the Virgin on the throne and Madre della Consolazione, it is defined by the Coronation theme; two flying winged angels appearing from the clouds are crowning Virgin Mary with the jeweled crown. In the West this type of the Virgin is venerated as Queen of Heaven and Queen of Angels and connected with the hymn Regina Coeli. Influences of western Renaissance are evident in this painting, as well as the stylistic and iconographic elements of Post-Byzantine Cretan art. Together with two other panel paintings from Split depicting St Nicolas and St Agnes (now in the Convent of St. Clare in Split), which obviously come from same altar triptych or polyptich, it might be connected to Ioannes Permeniates, a Cretan painter active in first half of 16th century in Venice under the strong influence of Venetian art