The Virgin Mary Holding the Child – Colorful Engraved Pyrography

Description

Pyrography Depicting the Virgin Mary Holding the Child

Like the Portaítsa, the Sweet-Kissing Virgin is among the images that were preserved from the iconoclasm and were miraculously transported to Mount Athos.

This image was originally owned by Victoria, the devout wife of the iconoclast senator Simeon. To prevent it from being handed over, she threw it into the sea. The icon, floating upright on the waves, reached the dock of the Monastery of Filotheou, where it was received with great honor and joy by the abbot and the monks, who had been alerted by a revelation from the Theotokos.

At the spot on the shore where the icon was deposited, holy water gushed forth. Every year, on the Monday after Pascha, a procession and blessing take place there.

In this particular icon, the monk iconographer used the lithography technique to create a uniquely beautiful work. Specifically, using a lithographed copy of Byzantine art, the monk meticulously crafted this work following the traditional method of artificial aging, as taught to him in the iconography workshops of the Athonite State. Moreover, the artificial aging of the icon is handcrafted, a process that the monks of Mount Athos give special importance to.

Pyrography: Features

Pyrography is an art form that attracts many creators due to the impressive results it can achieve. It is a painting technique that uses two primal elements of nature: wood and fire. With patience and attention to detail, the monks create pyrographic images, paying close attention to mistakes as they cannot be corrected like pencil drawings.

This particular image combines the art of engraving with pyrography, producing an exceptional embossed effect.