Holy Family & Theotokos Portaitissa – Double-Sided Engraved Lithograph – Mount Athos

Description

Engraved Lithograph of the Holy Family & Theotokos Portaitissa

Holy Family

This unique lithograph depicts the Holy Family. It shows the Most Holy Theotokos with Saint Joseph the Betrothed, who holds a lily in one hand, the symbol of the immaculate conception of Jesus by the Theotokos, and in the other, two white doves. In front of them, the infant Christ is depicted wearing an orange robe.

According to the New Testament, Saint Joseph was the betrothed of the Theotokos. He was a descendant of David and came from Bethlehem but lived in Nazareth. After the birth of Christ, he settled with the Theotokos in Egypt as the angel of the Lord warned them that Christ was in danger of being killed by Herod. After Herod’s death, Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus returned to Nazareth.

The Betrothed Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament for the last time during the return journey from Jerusalem, when the twelve-year-old Jesus taught in the Temple of Solomon. Both the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church declared him a saint. His feast is celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas.

Theotokos Portaitissa

This unique lithograph depicts the Theotokos Portaitissa, located in the Holy Monastery of Iveron. According to tradition, it was created by the Evangelist Luke. The title “Portaitissa” was given to it because of its location, as it is placed in the chapel of the Iveron Monastery, to the left of the main gate.

In this colored lithograph of the Theotokos Portaitissa, which is an exact replica of the original, the talented Athonite iconographer has applied artificial aging with a gold finish. Around the halo, a gold color with small embossed details has been applied. The four corners of the image are decorated with a gold finish, between the carvings of the artificial aging.

Engraved Lithograph: Features

The work is entirely hand-crafted, without the use of machines, on engraved natural wood. It is the work of the iconographer Athanasios, a student of the Athoniada Ecclesiastical Academy, who remains faithful to Byzantine art as he was taught in Mount Athos. His works are covered with pure beeswax to remain intact over time.

In this particular image, the monk iconographer used the lithography technique to create a work of unique beauty. Specifically, by using a lithographed replica of Byzantine art, the monk created this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught in the iconography workshops of the Athonite state. In fact, the artificial aging of the icon is handmade, a process that the monks of Mount Athos give particular attention to.

Since the image is handmade and the wood processing is done entirely by hand, there may be slight variations in the dimensions of each image.

The image is available upon order.

Origin: Mount Athos