Updated 14 April 2025
On Display Permanent collection
On Display
Icon: Ascension of Christ with the Hetoimasia
| Materials and Techniques | tempera on panel |
|---|---|
| Size（cm） | 71 x 47.5 |
| Inscriptions | Signed lower right |
| Credit Line | Ex-Matsukata Collection |
| Standard ref. | M932 |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1973-0004 |
This icon is a typical example of the 15th-century Cretan-Venetian school that grew from the tradition of Byzantine court painting. This painting from the Matsukata Collection, along with the Death of the Virgin today in the Galleria Sabauda in Turin, is considered one of Ritzos' best large-scale icons. Very little inpainting has occurred in the centuries since its creation, and thus the work fully conveys Ritzos' considerable ability as a veteran icon painter.The painting shows the Ascension of Christ in the center with the "Hetoimasia," or empty throne that symbolizes God, above it. Ritzos has placed the Feast of Abraham at the top of the composition as the symbol of the Holy Trinity. Standing portraits of six saints are shown, three on the right (St. John the Baptist, St. Nicholas and St. Onuphrius) and three on the left (St. James the Greater, St. Anthony and St. Sebastian) of the central image. Half-length figures of Emperor Constantine, his mother Helen, St. Catherine, and St. Paraskeva appear in the lower section. The Greek signature that reads literally "by the hand of Andreas Ritzos" appears in the lower right, beneath the feet of St. Sebastian. (Source: Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2009, cat. no. 1)
Provenance
Kojiro Matsukata, Kobe; pledged by Matsukata to save his business, Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd., Kobe and then seized by Jugo Bank, Tokyo, 1927, no. 54 [Jugo Bank label on the reverse]; 3rd Matsukata sale, Tokyo, 17 May–4 July 1930, lot 98, repr., as the South-Russian icon after the 17th century; Hōraishokusan & Co., Tokyo; deposited in NMWA, 16 July 1960–27 December 1973, Dep. 60-22 (D-13); purchased by the NMWA, 1973.
Exhibition History
- 1930
- The 3rd Exhibition of the Matsukata Coll., Tokyo, 17 May 1930 - 4 June 1930, cat. no. 98, repr. (as the South-Russian icon after the 17th century)
- 1996
- The Crossing Visions: European and Modern Japanese Art from the Collections of The National Museum of Western Art & The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 20 July 1996 - 8 September 1996, cat. no. 72
Bibliography
- 1960
- Catalogue of the National Museum of Western Art. Tokyo, 1960, D-13, repr. (as the Italian work of the 14th century).
- 1961
- Catalogue du Musée National d'Art Occidental, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1961 (Préface and Catalogue Général in Japanese and French), D-13 (as the work of the 14th century).
- 1974
- Gazette des Beaux- Arts. ser. 6, tome 83, Feb. 1974, "Chronique des Arts", p. 202, no. 695, repr.
- 1974
- Koshi, K. Über eine kretische Ikone des 15. Jahrhunderts von Andreas Ritzos im Nationalmuseum für Westliche Kunst in Tokyo. Bulletin Annuel du Musée National d’Art Occidental. No. 7 (1972), 1974 (Japanese text with german summary) , pp. 8-57, figs. 1, 2, 3, 12, 15, 18, 22.
- 1975
- Les cent chefs-d'œuvre du Musée National d'Art Occidental. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1975 (Japanese), no. 1, repr.
- 1975
- Bulletin Annuel du Musée National d’Art Occidental, No. 8 (1973), 1975, Nouvelles acquisitions, par Chisaburoh F. Yamada, p. 4. Nouvelles acquisitions (catalogue). pp. 8-9. repr.
- 1978
- Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1978 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 1, repr.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 242, repr.
- 1990
- The Old Matsukata Collection. Kobe City Museum, ed. Kobe, "Matsukata Korekushon Ten" Jikkoiinkai, 1990, cat. no. 1290.
- 2006
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2006 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 1, col. repr.
- 2009
- Masterpieces of The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art; Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2009, no. 1, col. repr.
- 2013
- Masterpieces: The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Tokyo, The Western Art Foundation, 2013 (Japanese, preface in Japanese and English), no. 1, col. repr.
- 2018
- The Matsukata Collection: Complete Catalogue of the European Art. Kawaguchi, Masako; Jingaoka, Megumi, eds. vol. 1: Paintings, Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2018, cat. no. 932, col. repr.