The Virgin Pantanassa is a tempera painting by Andreas Ritzos. Ritzos was a Greek painter active on the island of Crete. He flourished from 1435 to 1492. The painter has an existing catalog of over sixty works attributed to him. He signed his works in both Greek and Latin. He is one of the most influential painters of the Cretan Renaissance. He painted in the traditional Greek-Italian Byzantine style. His work was also heavily influenced by Venetian painting. His teacher was Angelos Akotantos. He was also affiliated with Andreas Pavias. His son was famous Greek painter Nikolaos Ritzos. Ritzo's Italian contemporaries were Paolo Uccello and Fra Angelico. They all painted a mixture of the Greek-Italian Byzantine and Italian Renaissance styles. The art of Crete was heavily influenced by the founder of the Venetian school Paolo Veneziano.
The Virgin and Child was a popular subject matter among painters. Both Greek and Italian artists used the theme in countless works of art since the inception of the religion. The Virgin and Child enthroned was an important theme. The Greek term Pantanassa (Greek: Παντάνασσα), means the "Queen of All". The term was used to refer to the Virgin Mary as Queen of All. Greek painters created dozens of versions of the Madonna and Child Enthroned. Georgios Klontzas, Michael Damaskinos, Georgios Nomikos, and Emmanuel Tzanes are some of the painters that created their own versions. Tzanes's Lady the Lambovitissa is an example of the expert craftsmanship of the painters and the evolution of the style. Each version offers its own unique characteristics and style. The Virgin Pantanassa is one of the earliest surviving versions of the Cretan School attributed to a painter. It is located in the museum of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, Patmos, Greece.
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