Furthermore, donor portraits in Early Netherlandish painting suggest that their additional purpose was to serve as role models for the praying beholder during his own emotional meditation and prayer not in order to be imitated as ideal persons like the painted Saints but to serve as a mirror for the recipient to reflect on himself and his sinful status, ideally leading him to a knowledge of himself and God. This study focuses primarily on donor portraits of families found in Cypriot wall paintings and icons created during the Lusignan and Venetian periods. Further, the offering is made not directly to the goddess herself, but to her statue, clearly represented as such by the plinth on which it stands, placed directly behind the altar. It is clear that when the image was executed in the tenth century, it was already laden with historical consciousness in that it refers to times by then long gone. Further, the tips of the fingers of Alexioss left hand are just visible curling over the top of the left cover and pages. Hans Memling; the Madonna looks benevolently at the donor, who is presented by Saint Anthony the Great, and blessed by the Christ-child, Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Raising of Lazarus, with five kneeling donor portraits (and perhaps the donor's dog). Also in Ravenna, there is a small mosaic of Justinian, possibly originally of Theoderic the Great in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. In this scene Constantine has in his hands a model of the walled city of Constantinople, in reference to his construction of the city walls, while Justinian has a model of the Church of Hagia Sophia, in reference to his reconstruction of the building. 1.10). Rather, he is bolt upright from head to toe, and he does not seem to be asking Christ for anything. Further, the central block has considerable visual mass, as the enthroned Christ and the personifications of Justice and Mercy who whisper the virtues of the emperors in his ears occupy more surface area than either of the two solitary figures beneath. 1.12). Each emperor offers his gift unreservedly and leans forward respectfully, unafraid to appear in a less than dominant position. Yet it is also the case that even within the group of contact portraits, there are still distinctions to be drawn between the donation and non-donation iconographies. Cambridge, Mass. It should be stressed that this taxonomy is not conclusive and definitive. The Mosaics of the Southern Vestibule, Gifts and Prayers: The Visualization of Gift-Giving in Byzantium and the Mosaics at Hagia Sophia, The Languages of Gift in the Early Middle Ages, Architecture and Ornamental Mosaics in the South Vestibule of St Sophia at Istanbul: The Secret Door of the Patriarchate and the Imperial Entrance to the Great Church, Sacred Fortress: Byzantine Art and Statecraft in Ravenna, Writing in Gold: Byzantine Society and its Icons, The Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai: The Icons, Byzantium in the Iconoclast Period (ca. Would it make a difference to your charity comms? It is evident, too, in the way he proffers his church with both hands, thrusting it forward. Donor portrait usually refers to the portrait or portraits of donors alone, as a section of a larger work, whereas votive portrait may often refer to a whole work of art intended as an ex-voto, including for example a Madonna, especially if the donor is very prominent. (Boston: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 193439), vol. 1 See the relevant entries in H. G. Liddel and R. Scott, A GreekEnglish Lexicon (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996); G. W. H. Lampe (ed.