Byzantine Icon Study: Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels

OVERVIEW:

Today in art class, we will study one of the oldest surviving Christian icons, The Virgin and Child with Saints and Angels, created in the 6th century and still housed at Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai.

This artwork is significant because most icons from this early time were destroyed during the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm, when the use of religious images was fiercely debated. This piece survived because it was far from the capital, preserved in the desert monastery.

The icon shows the Virgin Mary seated on a jeweled throne holding the Christ Child, flanked by soldier-saints, with angels behind them and the hand of God above. It was painted using encaustic, a technique that mixes pigments with hot wax, which has helped it last for over 1,400 years.

This lesson connects directly with the students’ study of the Byzantine Empire, allowing them to see how art reflected faith, power, and theology during this period. Byzantine icons were not meant to look like “ordinary” people, but to give worshippers a glimpse of heavenly reality — a reminder that art can be both beautiful and deeply meaningful.

Students will:

• Learn the history of this Byzantine icon and why it is significant.
• Practice observation and narration by describing what they see in the painting.
• Identify the primary colors (red, blue, yellow) and how artists used them to create harmony.
• Complete a pencil outline drawing of the icon, focusing on main shapes and forms. (No color added yet - this week is about careful attention and observation.)

Note: This is an in-class assignment. Next week students will continue their replication piece and add color. Final presentations will take place on September 25th.