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Mamluk: Dynasty of Sultans ruling in Egypt
between 1250 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517.
madrassa (Ar. Literally "school"):
Koranic Schools instituted in the eleventh century C.E., whose
architecture frequently mirrored that of Persian-styled mosques
with a courtyard and an iwans, one at each of the cardinal directions.
The development of madrassas as an architectural type developed
under the Sunni Seljuqs, who were recently converted Turks.
The Seljuqs spread the institution and its architectural form
as a means of making inroads into the gains made by the Shiites.
Madre della Consolazione (It. "Mother
of Consolation"): western iconographic type of the Virgin
Mary adopted by Cretan icon painters when painting in the maniera
latina (see cat 292).
Mandylion: the image of Christ’s face
miraculously impressed upon the cloth and one of the most famous
archeiopoietos relics. The mandylion was frequently depicted
in parietal decoration immediately below the Pantokrator in
vaulted churches. In churches without domes, the image is depicted
on the eastern wall above the altar. The placement of the image
in this area emphasized the ideas of Christ’s incarnation
and redemptory sacrifice. Further underscoring this theme, the
flanking piers would frequently be decorated by an image of
the Annunciation, thus underscoring the proof of the Incarnation
(see cat 95, 96).
maniera greca (It., "Greek Style"):
term derogatorily used by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of
the Artists, to describe the Byzantine-influenced style
of much thirteenth-century Italian painting (see cat 286, 287).
maniera latina: (It. Latin Style): term used
for icons reproducing the style and iconography of late western
gothic prototypes.
Manus Dei (Lat. "Hand of God"): depiction
of the hand of God making a gesture of blessing and often seen
in depictions of the Baptism of Christ and the Martyrdom of
the Holy Forty of Sebasteia, among others (see cat 133).
maphorion, maphoria (Gr., "shawl,"
"veil"): long veil covering the head and shoulders
of the Virgin and female saints. The maphorion of the Virgin
was one of the most prized of Constantinople’s relics,
and was treasured at the church of the Blachernae.
Melismos (Gr., "breaking"): ritual
breaking of the consecrated amnos. In art the depiction of Christ,
lying supine upon the altar, or within a paten covered by the
asterisk, with his midsection covered by a liturgical cloth.
The image was introduced at the end of the twelfth century,
although the first surviving example is found at Saint Nicholas
in Manastir, 1271. The iconography emphasizes the truly sacrificial
nature of the Eucharistic rite and it is generally found on
the wall behind the altar, where the analogous action of breaking
the Eucharistic loaf takes place during the liturgy.
Mendicant Orders, see Dominican and Franciscan
menologion, menologia: (Word combining the
Greek words for "month" and "catalogue")
A type of manuscript containing a collection of saints’
lives, one (or more) presented for each day of the Church Calendar.
The most famous example is the Menologion of Basil II in the
Vatican Library.
Military Saint: a group of popular soldier-saints
including George, Demetrios, Menas, Mercurios, Theodore Stratelates
(the General) and Theodore Tyron (the recruit) who were typically
depicted in martial costume. These saints were believed to have
been martyred for their faith in Christ, and their unwillingness
to fight for the Pagan Roman Emperors. They came to be seen
as battling against the enemies of Christ and of Christian Monarchs.
They were petitioned for a variety of personal causes as well
as for the protection and defense of cities. The Late Byzantine
military aristocracy identified closely with these saints and
placed their images on their seals.
mirotivici, see myroblytos.
Morava School: term first utilized by Gabriel
Millet to describe the Serbian school of architecture and painting
that flourished in the river valley near Nis, between the reign
of Prince Lazar (r. 1371–1389) and 1459.
mosaic: small cubes of variegated colors called
tesserae, which can be made from a variety of material including
glass, marble, clay, or semi-precious stones, which are then
inserted into a matrix of plaster to create floor or wall programs.
The creation of mosaic programs was a highly expensive and labor
intensive, fresco programs were more typical of the Late Byzantine
Period.
muqarnas: Islamic honeycomb or stalactite vaulting,
perhaps originating in Iraq, an early example is found at Imam
Dur near Baghdad.
myroblytos (Gr., "giving forth myrrh"):
A Saint whose body or icon produces a miraculous flow of myrrh.
Saint Demetrios and Theodora of Thessalonike are important examples (see cat 139), as is the Serbian Saint Simeon, who is known
as Mirotivici (see cat 119).
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