ΒΧΜ

St Demetrios is depicted mounted on horseback wearing military uniform in the central part of the icon, killing Kaloyannis or Skyllogianis, the tsar of the Bulgarians. Against a gold background, an angel crowns the saint. The small icons either side of the central representation depict scenes from his life and martyrdom of the saint. At the left is the saint judged by the emperor Maximian and his disciple Nestor in combat. At the right is a scene of the lancing of the saint and his entombment. At the bottom left the donor of the icon is depicted in bust and at the bottom right can be read the inscription ΧΕΙΡ ΕΜΜΑΝΟΥΗΛ ΙΕΡΕΩC ΤΟΥ ΤΖΑΝΕ. ΔΕΗCIC ΤΟΥ ΔΟΥΛΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΛΟΥΔΟΒΙΚΟ ΦΩCΚΑΡΔ[IOY],16[4]6 (“by the hand of Emmanuel the priest Tzanes, prayer of the servant of the Lord Loudovikos Phoskardios, 19[4]6). Tzanes, following probably a western model, departed from the established type of the mounted saint with his horse walking alongside him, and depicted him in such a way as to give the impression of perspective, which is particularly evident in the movement of the horse’s head.