Icons by the hand of Angelos

Angelos, the eminent Cretan painter of the first half of the 15th century, is justly thought to be one of the most celebrated and most productive artists of his day on account of the quality of his work, with some thirty something surviving signed icons. Grounded in the Palleologan tradition, but being unusually talented he incorporated its characteristics into his work and developed them in a creative way. His works, gave him great reputation for generations to come and set the ground of the Cretan School of painting.

Planned by the Benaki Museum Conservation Dept., the project was carried out in collaboration with the Conservation Dept. of the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens, the ‘Ormylia’ Art Diagnosis Centre and the Technological Eduational Institute of Athens. It focuses on the systematic record of materials and techniques, based on the analysis of a group of seven signed works and attempts to fill a small part of the lacuna in technical information regarding post-Byzantine painting. It is to be hoped that, in addition to making us better acquainted with the works in the production stage, this information may perhaps solve some of the questions about dating, attribution and even authenticity which often preoccupy historians of art.

The volume is divided into four chapters.
Chapter 1: Angelos Painting Technique. A description of panel construction, materials and painting method based on a study of seven signed icons, by K. Milanou, C. Vourvopoulou, L. Vranopoulou, A.-E. Kalliga (conservators).
Chapter 2: Analysis of organic and inorganic materials and their application on icons by Angelos, by Sister Daniila (chemist, icon painter), E. Minopoulou (chemical engineer), K. Andrikopoulos (physicist) and I. Karapanagiotis (chemical engineer).
Chapter 3: Study and documentation of an icon of Saint George by Angelos using infrared reflectography by A. Alexopoulou (chemical engineer) and A. Kaminari (conservator).
Chapter 4: An alternative approach to the life of the icon The Virgin Kardiotissa by J. Perdikari (icons conservator, museologist).

Title : Icons by the hand of Angelos. The Painting Method of a fifteenth-century Cretan Painter.
Editing and coordination of the publication: Kalypso Milanou, Chryssa Vourvopoulou, Lena Vranopoulou, Alexandra-Eleni Kalliga
Languages: Greek / English
Date of publication: 2008
Publisher: Benaki Museum, Athens
ΙSBN: 978-960-476-016-9
Number of pages: 188
Dimensions: 27Χ25 εκ.
Number of plates: 115
Paperback

Email:
milanou@benaki.gr
vourvopoulou@benaki.gr
vranopoulou@benaki.gr
kalliga@benaki.gr

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