Agios Ephraim – Gold-printing with Sandblasting – Mount Athos

Description

Sandblasting gold printing with Saint Ephraim

An amazing gold print with Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri, one of the “new” saints, who was born in 1384 in Trikala.

In order to escape the child massaging, he was sent to the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary on Mount Amomon at the age of 14. There he remained until the age of 18 as a novice monk, then he was anointed a monk and in a few years a priest. His holy relics were found by the nun Makaria Desypri on January 3, 1950 in the place where the Holy Monastery of Amomon is located today in Nea Makri, Attica.

According to Christian tradition, since 1416, when Athens was conquered by the Ottomans, the Holy Monastery experienced two disasters. During the first the saint happened to be praying in a cave on the mountain. The Ottoman army slaughtered the other fathers and monks, whom Saint Ephraim buried when he returned. In 1425 the Turks found him and tortured him with particular ferocity for 8.5 months. He was martyred on May 5, 1426, while the tree where he was nailed and breathed his last still exists today.

Sandblasted Gold Printing: Features

In the icon with the representation of Saint Ephraim, the hagiographer monk used the technique of gold printing creating a work of unique beauty. Gold-stamping is a kind of hot-stamping technique. Hot-stamping is the method by which very thin metal gold sheet is placed on surfaces such as wood, leather, cardboard, plastic by pressing a heated embossed plate (plate) on our surface. Around the image you also use the technique of sandblasting, it is the technical treatment that achieves the corrosion of part or all of a surface by pouring sand under pressure.

Dimensions: 14,5 x 18 x 0,5 cm.
Origin: Mount Athos