The Panel of the Virgin and Saint Anne from the Church of the Archangels in Iprari. Iconographic and Ideological Aspects

A rare eleventh-century iconographic panel depicting the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, discovered in the Church of the Archangels in Iprari (Upper Svaneti, Georgia), reveals significant political symbolism. This panel, part of the earliest works attributed to 'King’s Painter Tevdore,' stands out within a limited decorative program of a small church dedicated to archangels. The study argues that its inclusion suggests a deliberate ideological and political message, linking royal patronage with religious imagery during the period between 1096 and 1130. The research combines topological analysis, iconographic context, and historical inscription evidence to uncover this layered meaning.

Chichinadze, N. (2025). The Panel of the Virgin and Saint Anne from the Church of the Archangels in Iprari. Iconographic and Ideological Aspects. Representations of Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period, 19–38. https://doi.org/10.1484/m.wop-eb.5.142191