50. 50AR Constantinos Parthenis (Greek, 1878-1967) La Vierge de la victoire huile sur toile 56 x 32cm (22 1/16 x 12 5/8in). oil on canvas Provenance The Artist's Estate. Private collection, Athens. A spiritual equivalent to Parthenis's heroic Apotheosis of Athanasios Diakos, this mesmerizing work of dazzling virtuosity and timeless elegance lies at the core of the artist's achievement, conveying an uplifting feel and a conviction that faith can elevate human consciousness to a higher sphere. Ethereal, idealized and weightless, the sacred figures, captured in translucent colours, feathery forms, and delicate segmented lines, occupy a purified world of universal peace and divine harmony. Set in a starry stage-like apse shimmering with glowing blues and greens, the crowned Virgin, seated on a high throne with the Christ Child on her lap, is holding a figurine of Nike1 in her extended right hand—a variant of the Byzantine cruciform sceptre. To the right and left of her footstool there are two flying angels-musicians2, while the lower part is occupied by an ascending dove on the left and a third winged figure who rushes to celebrate the victory of Christianity raising both arms towards the blue heavens.3 Abbreviated shapes, fine lines and curvilinear motifs which echo the simplicity of ancient Greek vase painting, translucent forms, and sensitive, diluted colours applied on the reverse side of the canvas to better capture the spiritual immaterialisation of the so called acheiropoiitos Byzantine icons,4 create a magical dreamscape of pure poetry, a transient melody celebrating "Madonna della Vittoria" as a lofty symbol of universal order, harmony and peace. 1 The winged goddess who brought victory in both battle and athletic contests. 2 Drawing from the poetic atmosphere of the symbolist era, angels represent a recurrent theme in Parthenis's work. In his paintings not intended for worship, the angel wings are stylised in an Art Deco fashion. 3 The whole composition is more developed compared to the monumental Virgin Nikopoios in the collection of the National Gallery in Athens. 4 Holy paintings thought to have been created without the intervention of human hand.