Icon - Mandylion - Wood

Orthodox icon on a wooden panel – Holy Face of Christ (Mandylion) with Archangels – 19th century

The icon depicts the Holy Face of Jesus Christ (Mandylion), a sacred Byzantine-origin representation of the face of Christ imprinted on a miraculous cloth.

In the upper corners there are two Archangels (traditionally identified as Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel), depicted as supporting, symbolically, the cloth bearing the face of Christ.

The inscriptions ΙϹ ΧϹ confirm the identification of Jesus Christ according to the Eastern iconographic tradition.

Estimated period

19th century (first half / second half of the 1800s)
The iconography, painting technique, natural aging of the pigments, and the structure of the wooden panel are consistent with a nineteenth-century production within the Orthodox milieu.

Origin:
Eastern Europe / Russo-Balkan area

Style:
Byzantine style – Orthodox tradition

Colors and materials
• Background with ochre-gold tones (made with mineral pigments)

Painting technique
• Egg tempera on a wooden panel prepared with gesso (levkas)

Woodworking
• A solid wooden board, probably made of linden (basswood) or conifer.
• Presence at the rear of two recessed crossbars
A typical technique for reinforcing ancient icons to prevent deformation.