Archangel Faces at Pantanassa in Mystras

 

First of the Archangel Faces at Pantanassa, with curling hair, a golden-ochre halo and an oblique gaze towards the centre of the apse.

The Archangel Faces at Pantanassa belong to the fifteenth-century wall paintings of the monastery church at Mystras. Preserved within the decoration of the central sanctuary apse, the two youthful heads flank the enthroned Virgin and Child. Although the wider composition establishes their subordinate position within the Marian image, the surviving details possess the concentration and scale of independent portraits.

The Monastery of Pantanassa was founded in 1428 by John Frangopoulos, a prominent official of the Despotate of the Morea. Its earliest painted layer, generally dated to around 1430, is recognised as one of the distinguished late manifestations of Palaiologan painting. An official account of the monument emphasises the vitality, strong colour and high quality of these fifteenth-century paintings.

Archangel Faces at Pantanassa within the Apse

Towards the enthroned Theotokos incline the two archangels, directing the viewer’s attention towards the centre of the apse. Their position is confirmed by the APAN Archive, which records the apse composition as the Virgin and Child flanked by a pair of archangels, with the lower part of the Ascension appearing above in the sanctuary vault.

Seen apart from the complete ensemble, the heads retain something of this inward orientation. The eyes turn obliquely, each gaze moving towards the absent centre of the composition. The inclination remains restrained. No emphatic movement disturbs the ceremonial arrangement; direction is conveyed through the pupils, the slight displacement of each head and the unequal illumination of the cheeks.

Their golden-ochre nimbi occupy much of the background. Broad and almost perfectly circular, they isolate the faces from the dark surrounding field while giving them a scale greater than their physical dimensions alone might suggest. A narrow pale outline defines the edge of each nimbus. The wings survive only partially at the margins of the photographs, enough to preserve the identity of the figures without competing visually with the faces.

Two Related but Distinct Physiognomies

The Archangel Faces at Pantanassa were constructed from a closely related repertory: long oval faces, high foreheads, narrow noses, arched brows, abundant curling hair. Simple duplication, however, was avoided. One archangel has a slightly more elongated physiognomy, with a softer transition from cheek to jaw and curls descending freely beside the neck. His companion appears broader across the forehead and upper cheeks, the gaze firmer and the line of the nose more strongly asserted.

Both faces possess an almost sculptural internal structure. Olive and brown tones establish the underlying planes; ochre, pale rose and white strokes gather around the forehead, eyelids, nose and upper cheeks. Rather than dissolving into smooth tonal gradation, these highlights remain visible as fine, closely placed lines, bending around the forms and following the direction of the facial planes.

Much of the expression resides in the eyes. Large and almond-shaped, outlined with dark pigment and set beneath sweeping eyebrows, they introduce an alertness into the formal stillness of the figures. Their sideways movement acknowledges the Virgin while preserving the archangels’ withdrawn, supra-human bearing. Neither face addresses the congregation directly.

Colour, Hair and Courtly Appearance

Dense masses of reddish-brown curls surround the heads. Individual locks are described by repeated curved lines, lighter accents following their upper edges. Through the hair above each forehead passes a pale band, partly concealed by the curls. This controlled abundance gives the heads considerable breadth and creates a dark intermediate zone between the flesh and the luminous nimbi.

At the lower edge of each detail, a reddish garment can be seen, enriched with light circular ornaments and decorative borders. Such costly dress accords with the Byzantine presentation of archangels as members of the celestial court. That courtly conception is carried here through colour and pattern, though the present condition of the painted surface makes its original richness difficult to recover fully.

Warm red-brown hair, cooler olive flesh, red garments, expansive ochre nimbi: the chromatic relationship is carefully organised. Against the black or very dark field beyond the halos, these colours give the Archangel Faces at Pantanassa unusual visual intensity. Some of the effect may have been heightened by later alteration and the ageing of the pigments, though the broader organisation remains clearly legible.

Companion Archangel Face at Pantanassa, with a broad youthful physiognomy, curling reddish hair and a partially damaged lower section.


Damage and the Survival of Expression

In the Archangel Faces at Pantanassa, substantial abrasion affects both paintings, particularly around the mouth, chin and neck. Small lacunae interrupt the modelling of the cheeks, while larger losses have weakened the lower contours of the faces. The eyes, brows and much of the hair survive more coherently. Through this uneven preservation, the expressive weight has shifted upwards, and the gaze now dominates more forcefully than it may have done when the entire modelling remained intact.

The damage also exposes something of the method by which the heads were built. Dark preparatory tones appear beneath lighter passages; isolated strokes survive where broader areas of flesh colour have disappeared. Along the cheeks and nose, remaining highlights trace the painter’s adjustment of volume. The condition is fragmentary, though sufficient original paint survives to distinguish the two physiognomies and their reciprocal movement towards the central Marian figure.

(The translation was edited by N. Jones.)

Related reading: St Peter of Koriša Frescoes: Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Liturgy, an earlier monumental programme centred on archangels; Deesis at St Peter of Koriša, on the intercessory image in the same church.

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