Agia Aikaterini – Gold-printing with Sandblasting – Mount Athos

Description

Sandblasting gold printing with Saint Catherine

An amazing gold print with Saint Catherine, which is honored on November 25.

Saint Catherine, the All-Wise and Celebrated Bride of Christ, came from a noble family of Alexandria, and was martyred in the early 4th century AD (304 AD). Already at the age of eighteen he possessed the knowledge of Greek, Roman and Latin philology and philosophy.  But she was also well versed in the doctrines of the Christian faith.

When Christians were persecuted under Maxentius (son of Maximian), Catherine was not afraid, but boldly propagated that Jesus Christ is the only True God. For this reason she was arrested by the prefect of the area, who tried through discussions to persuade her to renounce her faith. When the prefect realized the superiority of Catherine’s words, he convened a public debate with the most worthy orators of Alexandria, whom Catherine dismissed. Not only that, but some of Catherine’s interlocutors were convinced of her reasons and embraced the Christian Faith.

Faced with this outcome, the prefect ordered her to be cruelly tortured in the hope that the saint would bend and deny Christ. But Catherine remained steadfast in her faith. He was eventually beheaded, by order of the prefect.

According to tradition, the holy relic of Saint Catherine, after her massacre, was taken by angels to protect it and taken to the top of Sinai where it was found, after many years, by holy ascetics. Until today it is preserved in the homonymous Holy Monastery of Sinai.

Sandblasted Gold Printing: Features

In the icon with the representation of Saint Catherine, 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