Saint Luke

Saint Luke the Evangelist, patron saint of painters, adds the finishing touches to an icon of the Mother of God and Christ Child. Tradition holds that Luke used his trained eye as a doctor to accurately paint Mary and Jesus from life during Christ’s infancy.  

The painter of this distinctive panel has placed the tip of Luke’s brush delicately on the hand of the Mother of God as she, in turn, shows the way to her Son. By connecting Luke’s brush, Mary’s hand, and Christ’s blessing, the artist evokes the tradition wherein Luke was blessed by Christ, through Mary, in making the very first icon. This image, like the legend it depicts, emphasizes the crucial collaboration of human labor and the divine grace that brings the image to perfection.