On The Grounds Of Post-Byzantine Greek Icons

The grounds of 51 post-Byzantine icons (Eastern Orthodox panel paintings) were studied by means of analytical techniques. The artefacts cover the period from the mid-15th to the mid-19th century and originate mainly from western (Epirus and the Ionian Islands) and southern Greece (Crete). The findings are examined in the light of technical recipes from related areas and eras, while special insights are gained from the exploration of a gypsum processing recipe by Dionysius of Fourna. A spectrum of ground fabrication practices that is richer than that reported so far or can be deduced from surviving Greek recipes is documented; three instances of grosso-sottile' type grounds and a case of inverse grosso-sottile' ground are among the reported novel, for post-Byzantine icons, findings. Moreover, a case of an early icon restoration intervention is documented.