Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.
Angel Holding the Body of Christ was a work of art created by Greek painter Nikolaos Kallergis.   Kallergis was born in Zakynthos.  His family was originally from Crete.  His father was a painter.  Nikolaos was active from 1715–1747.  He was a representative of the Heptanese School.  His family owned a church on the island of Zakynthos and a massive library.  The family was educated.  According to the Institute of Neohellenic Research, thirty-two of his painting’s survived.An integral part of the iconostasis are the royal doors.  Sometimes the  iconostasis can have three or more doors.  The royal doors are closed during important parts of the service.  The priest is the only individual allowed to enter the sacred doors.  They lead to the sanctuary or holy table.  The area behind the iconostasis is the secret place where the priest prepares the holy eucharist.  The royal doors were remnants of the destroyed Church of Panagia Tsourouflis.  
The theme Angel holding the body of Christ has been reproduced by countless Greek, Italian and Flemish painters.  It is part of the passion sequence.  Notable versions were completed by Flemish artists Bartholomeus Spranger and Jacob de Backer.  Hendrick Goltzius was a notable Dutch engraver that adopted a version of  Spranger's work.  Venetian engraver Giuseppe Scolari also printed his own version of the theme.  Kallergi's work is a mixture of the different works.  Flemish engravings and paintings heavily influenced artists of the Heptanese School.  Kallergis created several works emulating engravings.  Kallergis produced several works representing the passion series.Three similar parts of royal doors were completed by Kallergis. An angel carrying a column was painted on one of the doors.  The column symbolized the pole Jesus was flogged on during the passion series.  On another door, he painted an angel carrying whips.  The whips symbolized the instruments used to whip Jesus before the crucifixion during the passion series.  The third royal door contained the Angel Holding the Body of Christ.  The Heptanese School continued to evolve since its inception during the middle part of the 17 century. The style adopted by Kallergis became an integral part of the artistic advancement of the period.  Many artists of the Heptanese School painted similar works.  The work is part of the collection of the Zakinthos Museum in Greece.  Many of Kallergi's works are at this location.
whip Heptanese School eucharist Jacob de Backer Kallergis Hendrick Goltzius Spranger Bartholomeus Spranger Goltzius Backer Nikolaos Kallergis royal doors  Spranger iconostasis