The Materials and Craft of Early Iconographers

143 Pages·2014·3.902 MB·English

by  Mihaela D. Leonida (auth.)

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Mihaela D. Leonida
The Materials and Craft
of Early Iconographers
1 3
Mihaela D. Leonida
School of Natural Science
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Teaneck, New Jersey
USA
ISSN 2192-1091 ISSN 2192-1105 (electronic)
ISBN 978-3-319-04827-7 ISBN 978-3-319-04828-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-04828-4
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014932422
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To my father, the trail blazer
Nothing is too small: against a gold
background
I paint it large and lovingly
and hold it high, and I will never know
whose soul it may release….
(Rainer Maria Rilke, The Book of Hours,
1905)
Foreword
This little book closes the gap between the heavily documented manuscript and icon
painting traditions of Western Europe and of the Middle East. This is evident in its
treatment of the preparation and use of painting materials used in the Southeastern
European tradition, where it can be seen that its iconographers borrowed heavily
from other sources, while at the same time maintaining their own standards, tradi-
tional methods and materials. For example, Romanian pigment makers were careful
to insist on greater purity of their starting materials, and hence, avoided insofar as
was possible, contamination by side reactions in the final product. This practice,
in the end, resulted in markedly less degradation of the manuscript or icon over
time. Another unique tradition, at least from the 16th century on, was the practice
of frescoing churches on their exterior, which demanded not only great care in the
preparation of the surface, but also in the selection of the fresco materials—two
considerations that even today attest to the iconographers’ expertise as evidenced by
the excellent condition of these frescoes after over four hundred years of exposure
to harsh climatic conditions.
An essential aspect of the book is its description of the cultural background that
gave rise to this form of expression, that is, the importance and hallowed character
of manuscript and icon creation. Not merely an art form as those from the Western
tradition would define it, it was, to its iconographers, a sacred trust in the transmis-
sion of faith. Its practice was viewed as a means of catechesis, or teaching the truths
of religion, much as the stained glass windows of medieval churches and cathedrals
accomplished this function in the West—it was truly communicating a creed to a
largely illiterate society through imagery.
Peppered with beautiful images which presumably only someone very close to
the Southeastern European painting schools tradition would have access to, this
book is a delight to the eye, and at the same time is crammed with primary source
information that would be difficult to find in any one work. It is a must-read for
anyone interested in everything that went into image creation in antiquity.
New Rochelle, New York Mary Virginia Orna
vii
Preface
I would like to explain in a few introductory words what made me write this short
book and what I am trying to accomplish thereby.
I grew up as the only child of two scientists, a family with modest income, in
Romania, a satellite country of the Soviets at that time. All their spare time and
resources were invested in their daughter’s education in parallel with gathering a
modest collection of Romanian artifacts, paintings, icons, peasant decorative ob-
jects, drawings. Before I learned to read I could differentiate between icons on glass
and those on wood, between the naive realism of paintings representing the working
class building the socialist society and those of the abstract-ironical Dadaism from
an earlier time in the century. I gradually realized that although the language of vi-
sual arts is at least as strong and impressive as the written words, the bridge between
the two can only be covered with the help of a guide—a book which explains in
easy to understand words the images proposed by visual arts.
The icons always fascinated me. Later on I saw entire churches painted inside
and out, I met a few old iconographers and I realized that the role of paintings was
even more important in times past than in modern societies. The colored images
from churches and monasteries had a major role in conveying ideas about the world,
about society, about the moral principles and the culture of many generations before
us, many of which included illiterate members as a majority.
Although this is true for all civilizations with European roots, the feelings and
thoughts impressed on the viewer by the cathedrals of Western Europe are totally
different from those one feels in front of the icons and frescoes from the churches
of the eastern part of the continent. The religious fervor of the present day popula-
tions from the Russian, Romanian, Balkan or East-Mediterranean areas is probably
rooted in the expressiveness of the paintings of the Orthodox East.
This book tries to illustrate—and to explain as much as possible—the material
ways used by the Orthodox iconographers of times past (intentionally anonymous,
as a rule) who succeeded to reach such impressive heights of the artistic expression,
while observing the limits imposed by a very rigorous doctrine.
The hypothesis of the author—a scientist active in the field of methods for mat-
ter conversion—is that judiciously choosing the materials (some of them prepared
by the artisans themselves) and techniques used in painting was the decisive factor
ix
x Preface
which imparted a dramatic nature and unique expressivity to the icons of Southeast-
ern Europe and helped them stand the test of time.
To the reader, the book opens a window toward the hidden face, the material
face, of the Orthodox icons, toward the secretive world of iconographers of times
past. I hope that that is interesting and will capture you.
Teaneck, New Jersey, USA Mihaela Leonida
Acknowledgments
Many thanks are due to Mary Virginia Orna for reading the manuscript, for her
kind words, and for being an example to follow for all of us scientists working on
interdisciplinary topics.
Another strong woman, my mother, was with me through the entire journey,
showed me how to be a scientist, a mother, and how not to give up. She still fills my
thoughts and my heart.
I would like to acknowledge with great thanks James Yu for his infinite patience,
unwavering support, and continuous effort to afford me a better grasp of the intrica-
cies of the English language. His suggestions concerning this manuscript and many
others have been valuable and always greatly appreciated.
Last but not least, heartfelt thanks to Maria and Michael for being my home
away from home and to Marie-Marie for being my rock.
xi
Contents
1 T he Technical Part of the Painter’s Manuals Compiled and
Used by Early Iconographers. Historic Notes ......................................... 1
References .................................................................................................... 7
2 Materials From Natural Sources and Those Prepared in the
Iconographer’s Studio or in the Peasant Household .............................. 9
References .................................................................................................... 13
3 Pigments ...................................................................................................... 15
3.1 Cinnabar ............................................................................................. 15
3.2 About a Green Pigment, Acetic Fermentation, and Quality Control ... 25
3.3 White Pigments Prepared by Iconographers and Used in
Mural Painting .................................................................................... 29
3.4 Black Pigments ................................................................................... 34
References .................................................................................................... 39
4 Gilding ......................................................................................................... 41
4.1 Adhesive Mixtures Used in Gilding .................................................... 43
4.2 A mbole and Poliment .......................................................................... 46
4.3 Murdent, Mixtion and Gulifarba ......................................................... 49
4.4 Ilinocopia ............................................................................................. 52
4.5 Gilding on Paper ................................................................................. 53
4.6 Gilding on Mother-of-Pearl ................................................................. 54
References .................................................................................................... 54
5 Adhesives Prepared from Vegetal and Animal Sources Used
by Iconographers ........................................................................................ 57
References .................................................................................................... 60
6 Varnishes ..................................................................................................... 61
References .................................................................................................... 65
xiii