Holy Family – Lithograph with Sandblasting – Mount Athos

Description

Lithograph with Sandblasting – The Holy Family
In this remarkable icon, the Holy Family is depicted. The Virgin Mary is shown together with Saint Joseph the Betrothed, who holds a lily in one hand, symbolizing the immaculate conception of Jesus by the Virgin Mary, and two white doves in the other. In front of them stands the infant Christ, clothed in an orange robe.

According to the New Testament, Saint Joseph was the betrothed of the Virgin Mary. He was a descendant of King David and originally from Bethlehem, though he lived in Nazareth. After the birth of Christ, Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt upon the angel’s warning of King Herod’s plot to kill Jesus. After Herod’s death, they returned to Nazareth with the infant Jesus.

Saint Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament for the last time during the journey from Jerusalem, when the twelve-year-old Jesus taught in the Temple of Solomon. Both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches have canonized him as a saint. His feast day is celebrated on the Sunday after Christmas.

Lithograph with Sandblasting: Characteristics
In this particular image, the monk-artist used the lithography technique to create this unique work of beauty. Using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk executed the work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught in the iconography workshops of the Athonite community. Moreover, the artificial aging of the icon is handmade, a process in which the monks of Mount Athos place great emphasis.

The technique of sandblasting is also used around the borders of the image, which involves the abrasion of a surface using pressurized sand to achieve the desired effect.

This icon is available upon order.

Origin: Mount Athos
Dimensions: 19 x 24 x 2 cm