Icon Revival in the Renaissance

Icons, often representing Christ or the Virgin Mary, had an active presence in the visual culture of the Renaissance. The devotional images, frequently associated with a miraculous origin or attributed to the hand of the Evangelist Saint Luke, were believed to have the power to heal and could protect both individuals and the broader community. Icons had a longstanding tradition in Rome and were present in that city from at least the sixth century. With the fifteenth-century expansion of the Ottoman Empire, icons were transferred from the Byzantine Empire to Western Europe, especially to Italy. The archaic style and maniera greca [Greek manner] associated with the venerable images helped to support their authenticity as true likenesses of Christ or the Virgin.

During the Reformation, when the cult of images and the centrality of Mary were questioned, icons provided evidence for the Catholic Church of the intercessory power of the Virgin and demonstrated a tradition of image-making that stemmed back to the time of Christ. The documentation of the history and legends associated with icons, especially those found in Rome, helped to support a longstanding practice of image production. Miraculously created icons further reinforced a divine sanction for images. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, copies of Roman icons were widely distributed, frequently by the Jesuits. These reproductions served as diplomatic gifts, were sent to educational institutions, and accompanied Jesuit missionaries to Africa, South America, and Asia. During the Renaissance, icons in Rome were also reframed, taken from their medieval enclosures and placed at the high altar or in elaborately decorated private chapels. Scholarship in art history has increasingly recognized the significance of icons and miraculous representations during the Renaissance, with focused studies on specific images or geographic regions.