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Source Description
This small-scale Byzantine icon depicts a half-length figure of the Virgin holding the Christ child. When the icon was mounted in its present frame by a German artist in the 14th century, it was considered to be an authentic portrait painted by Saint Luke. This claim, made in an inscription on the frame, is further emphasized by the ox, Saint Luke’s symbol, engraved on the frame’s reverse.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
128826
label
Frame with Winged Bull of Saint Luke on the back
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
128826
contentType
object
title
Frame with Winged Bull of Saint Luke on the back
description
This small-scale Byzantine icon depicts a half-length figure of the Virgin holding the Christ child. When the icon was mounted in its present frame by a German artist in the 14th century, it was considered to be an authentic portrait painted by Saint Luke. This claim, made in an inscription on the frame, is further emphasized by the ox, Saint Luke’s symbol, engraved on the frame’s reverse.
date
mid-1300s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60746236
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 6.8 x 6.3 x 1.6 cm (2 11/16 x 2 1/2 x 5/8 in.)
cul
Germany, Aachen, Byzantine period, 14th century
accession
1951.445.2
Source extras
tec
gilt silver
tombstone
Frame with Winged Bull of Saint Luke on the back, mid-1300s. Germany, Aachen, Byzantine period, 14th century. Gilt silver; overall: 6.8 x 6.3 x 1.6 cm (2 11/16 x 2 1/2 x 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1951.445.2
collection
MED - Gothic
inscriptions
inscription
inscribed on the front of the frame: HANC IMAGINEM FECIT S. LUCAS EV. AD SIMILITUDINEM B. M. V.; inscribed on the back, directly below the winged bull: LUKAS.
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 40
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 40
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 42
citation
Winter, Patrick M. de. “The Sacral Treasure of the Guelphs.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 72, no. 1 (March 1985): 2–160.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 20, fig. 14
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein<em>. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 76-77, no. 20
citation
Ciulisová, Ingrid. Charles of Luxembourg and His Gemstones. First edition. Prague: Academia, 2024.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 119; reproduced: p. 121, fig. 14
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:39:05.824000
sourceId
128826
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Gothic
med
gilt silver
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4614f40892d1259b