Christ the Vine is a tempera painting on gold leaf and wood panel. The height is 52 cm (20.4 in) and the width is 42 cm (16.5 in). The painting features nine original apostles, three evangelists, Jesus Christ, God, and the
white dove. The
white dove represents the holy spirit. In this rendition, the father, the son, and the holy spirit are present. Beginning from the bottom, from left to right,
Thomas sits across from
Philip. Traveling up the tree, the two figures in the next arrangement are
Simon and
Bartholomew.
Simon is on the left and
Bartholomew is across from him on the right. The next series of figures from left to right are
Thaddeus and
James. Above the central figure of Jesus, the
four evangelists appear.
Saint Mark and
John the Evangelist are on the left.
Matthew and
Luke are on the right. They are listed in order from left to right. The
four evangelists were very popular in Cretan Renaissance art. In this rendition, the artist preferred the
four evangelists rather than the original apostles. The final two figures at the top of the image, from left to right are
Saint Peter and
Paul the Evangelist.
Saint Peter presents the
keys of heaven to God.
Saint Peter is often depicted holding the
keys of heaven in his left hand. The icon is significantly different than
Leos Moskos and
Angelos Akotantos's versions. The Christ figure is significantly larger. The books of the five evangelists are open. The books in
Christ the Vine by
Leos Moskos are closed. The painting resembles
Angelos Akotantos’s version because the books are open in his version. The wood panel is decorated with leaves and grapes. Just below the figure of God a wishbone symbol appears. The
white dove is right above the Christ figure.
Victor paints the majestic garment of Christ with the traditional orange and red common to the
Cretan School. The True Vine symbolizes evangelism. The figure of God appears as the conductor of an orchestra. He is depicted as an elderly father figure. His attire is distinguishable from the other figures. The pink and white accentuate the figure's features. The icon was first mentioned in a catalog in 1904. It was dated 1674 and signed by the artist
Victor. It was part of the collection of
San Giorgio dei Greci. In 1949, historians authenticated his signature and documents indicated the painting was in a school associated with the church in
Venice. ==Gallery==