Byzantine Icons
The Byzantine icons section features artworks made by monks at the Orthodox Monastery of Nafpaktos, Greece, and are the most important expression of the contemporary school. Made in the prestigious Greek laboratory, are on display at Porta Coeli as a world exclusive.
The section features also icons painted by master Gustavo Luis Costanzo, made following the rules of the Cretan School, and on show exclusively for Porta Coeli in the whole world.
The collection
The Via Crucis by J.F. Overbeck is a collection of XIX-centuries precious prints portraying the fourteen stations of the Via Crucis with frontispiece. Drawn by the broader work by German painter Overbeck, who made the Via Crucis between 1856 and 1857 as a homage to Pope Mastai. It featured a double series of charcoal and watercolour drawings on plastered cardboard. Then, in 1877, still as a dedication to the Pope, the fourteen stations and the preamble of the crucified Christ on the frontispiece of the collection were printed in 718 copies.
The lithographs and etchings dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Saints enrich the collection: they were made by famous schools in Naples, situated in Via S. Biagio dei Librai between XVIII and XIX centuries, and still working until the Fifties-Sixties of the XX century.
The Crucifix Collection includes pieces from XVII-XX century, tracing the evolution of the Symbol of Christianity.