Luke the Evangelist painting the first icon of the Virgin Mary.
Luke as an artist
Christian tradition states that he was the first icon painter, although in the Early Middle Ages he was thought to have been only one of several New Testament figures who practiced as an artist. He is said to have painted pictures of the Virgin Mary and Child, in particular the Hodegetria image in Constantinople (now lost). The total number of icons claiming to have been painted by Luke is said to have reached 600 during the Middle Ages, including for example, the Black Madonna of Częstochowa and Our Lady of Vladimir. He was also said to have painted Saints Peter and Paul, and to have illustrated a gospel book with a full cycle of miniatures.[24]
Late medieval Guilds of St Luke in the cities of Late Medieval Europe, especially Flanders, or the “Accademia di San Luca” (Academy of St. Luke) in Rome—imitated in many other European cities during the 16th century—gathered together and protected painters. The tradition that Luke painted icons of Mary and Jesus has been common, particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy. The tradition also has support from the Saint Thomas Christians of India who claim to still have one of theTheotokos icons that St. Luke painted and which St. Thomas brought to India.[25]
AURORA ROSA 