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Abstract
A 15th century St Theodoros icon of outstanding quality is on display at the Zakynthos Ecclesiastical Art Museum. On the basis of certain stylistic characteristics, this icon has been attributed to the legendary Cretan painter Angelos Akotantos. In order to explore the latter attribution, the icon was subjected to examination via multispectral imaging, while microsamples were investigated through an optical microscope (OM), a scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive analyzer (SEM-EDX), μ-Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The data were evaluated in the light of the findings of recent analytical studies conducted on several genuine Angelos icons. Identified materials include gypsum, gold leaf, bole, natural ultramarine, lead white, charcoal, green earth, red lake, minium, cinnabar, and red and yellow ochres. The identified materials resemble those employed by Angelos, while the identification of ultramarine is of particular significance, as this extremely expensive and rather rare pigment was very often used by the particular painter. Moreover, multispectral imaging reveals notable painting technique similarities between the icon in consideration and known Angelos icons, while cross sections of corresponding samples exhibit almost identical structures. Overall, the present work considerably strengthens the suggestion that the St Theodoros icon in consideration was painted by Angelos and also widens our knowledge regarding the late Byzantine painting.
Highlights
Religious panel paintings (“icons”) are an essential part of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church ritual practices; such artifacts have been continuously manufactured for more than 17 centuries [1]
In order to explore the latter attribution, the icon was subjected to examination via multispectral imaging, while microsamples were investigated through an optical microscope (OM), a scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive analyzer (SEM-EDX), μ-Raman and X-ray diffraction (XRD)
Cross-sections were examined under an optical microscope (OM, DMRXP, Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) at magnifications up to 200×, and, upon carbon coating, through a scanning electron microscope coupled with an energy dispersive analyzer (SEM-EDX, Quanta Inspect D 8334, FEI, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA)
Summary
Religious panel paintings (“icons”) are an essential part of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church ritual practices; such artifacts have been continuously manufactured for more than 17 centuries [1]. During the late 14th and early 15th centuries, icons of notably high quality were produced in the island of Crete (south Aegean Archipelago). As this artistic trend bears several idiomorphic characteristics, it has been designated as the “Cretan School of iconography”, and it is well known that. Heritage 2020, 3 that it considerably affected the development of the Orthodox religious painting throughout Greece and the Balkans [2]. SSotaotne aafrtcehrivthees tMhaatniosudssaatekdastoputhbeliecaatriloyn1,5itthwcaesnpturoryve(pnrtohbaatbtlhye1A43n6g)e[l3o]s; othf ethteeswtaitlol rwwasasthneapmaeindtAernogfetlhoes Aafkooretamnetonst,ioanndedhefammaodueshiiscownisll o[4n,5th].eIonccoarsdioenr offoar ttrhipe troeCadonerstatontgineotpalen. Sidoeoan aofftetrhteheimMpaonrotuansscaekaosf pAunbgleicloasti’own,oirtkw, aits ipsroevsseenntthiaalt ttohenAotnegtehloast othf ethCe rwetiallnwpaasinthtienpgasinchteorlaorfsthaeckanfoorwemleedngteiotnheadt fhaemwouass iicnodnesed[4,a5n]. Uelnlifnogrstuannadteinlyf,radsutrruincgtutrhesis, ienvcelundt imngancyhuorfchthees aZnadkymnothnoasstiecroienss. wUenrfeoretiutnhaetredlye,sdtruoryinegdtbhyistehveefnitremtahnayt fooflltohwe Zedaktyhnetheaorsthicqounaskweseroere“itdhiesrapdpesetarroeyde”d; bhyowtheevefirr,esethveartaflohlluonwderdedthiceoenasrwtheqruearkeesscuoerd“adsisaaprepseualtreodf”t;hheotiwreelvesesr,esfefovretrsaol fhMun. dCrheadtziicdoanksiswaenrde rheissccuoe-dwaosrkaerress[u9l]t. oSft tThheetoirdeolerosss eicffoonrtssuorfvMive. dChthaitszitderarkifisicadnidsahsitsercoa-nwdoirskceursrr[e9n].tlSytdTihspeoladyoerdosatictohne sZuarkvyivnethdotshEisctcelerrsiifiasctdiciaslaAstertr Manudseisucmu.rrently displayed at the Zakynthos Ecclesiastical Art Museum
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