The Royal Deesis – An Anti-Latin Image of Late Byzantine Art 1

Ágnes Kriza explores the mutual references between the iconography of the Coronation of the Virgin in the Catholic West and the Royal Deesis in the Byzantine East. She argues that the image of the Virgin in the Royal Deesis constitutes an Orthodox appropriation and adaptation of Her image in the Coronation of the Virgin, which portrays a concept alien to Byzantine theological hierarchy. The paper highlights the constraints that religion imposed on cross-cultural dialogue by underlining difficult-to-bridge gaps, which are nevertheless a vital part of trans-cultural negotiations.