Description
Antiqued Lithograph of Panagia Paramythia
A stunning antiqued lithograph of Panagia Paramythia. According to Christian tradition, in 807 AD, pirates secretly landed on the beach of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos and hid, waiting for the monastery gates to open to attack. However, after the end of the Matins service, the abbot heard the Virgin Mary telling him: “Do not open the gates of the monastery today, but go up to the walls and drive the pirates away.” Looking at the icon, he saw the Divine Child extending His hand to cover His Mother’s lips, saying: “No, Mother, let them be punished as they deserve.” But the Virgin, taking her Son’s hand, repeated the same words. Indeed, the monks were saved from the pirates, and as tradition reports, the expressions of the faces, as well as the posture of the Virgin and Jesus, changed in the icon from that moment onward.
Antiqued Lithograph: Characteristics
In this particular image, the monk iconographer used the lithograph technique to create a work of unique beauty, framed with gold leaf. Specifically, using a lithographed copy 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. Moreover, the artificial aging of the icon is handmade, a process to which the monks of Mount Athos attach great importance.
Origin: Mount Athos
