The Embracing of Peter and Paul

This subject comes from quite early Βyzantine times and during the post-Byzantine era the apostles were depicted full length in icons and frescoes. It is one of the rare iconographical themes that can be depicted on an icon with round format. The format is connected with the revival of the ancient imago clipeata in Renaissance Italy, also known as tondo. It was in constant use in Byzantine art as a representation of an icon and there exists no known example of portable icons in this format before the 15th century; the oldest one with the Embracement is the Vienna icon dated to the middle of the 15th century. The Cretan origin of this work is attested by the delicately worked decoration with incised ornaments of Italian style on the golden ground outside the circle, current only in Cretan painting. Moreover, the painter Angelos Akotantos, refers to “the head of St. Catherine, the round icon” in his will (1436), so we know that such icons were to be found at Crete. The two faces of the apostles are shown touching, though not looking at each other. Their hands, resting on each other's shoulder, create a perfectly balanced, closed composition that fits into the circular shape of the panel. Their meeting and embracement is symbolic of oecumenical peace, as ascertained by the Troparion of their feast. It has also been linked to the aspirations for the union of the eastern and western churches that were unsuccessfully expressed at the Council of Ferrara/Florence (1438-39). The icon's technical and stylistic features are characteristic of the painter Angelos, who produced two signed icons with this subject -but with the Saints represented full length, and may be strongly associated with his art.