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Icons: Why Their Style Never Changed

26 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by in Arts & Sciences, Costuming

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By Lady Grainne Rudha (formerly Miklos Magdolna)

Pronunciation: ‘I-“kän
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from Greek eikOn, from eikenai – “to resemble”
Date: 1572

  1. a usually pictorial representation: image
  2. [Late Greek eikOn, from Greek]: a conventional religious image typically painted on a small wooden panel and used in the devotions of Eastern Christians
  3. an object of uncritical devotion : idol
  4. emblem, symbol <the house became an icon of 1860’s residential architecture — Paul Goldberger>
  5. (a) a sign (as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning (b) a graphic symbol on a computer display screen that suggests the purpose of an available function

Christ Acheiropoietos (Image of Edessa), c.1100, from Wikimedia Commons.

This very bland definition from the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary led me to wonder about this facet of church art in the early part of the Byzantium. I had run across references to icons and their symbolism during my research of triptychs and diptychs. In the readings, icons seemed rather dry and didn’t quite answer my basic questions regarding why their style never progressed like the other works of religious art work did with the advent of the Renaissance.

Then, serendipity happened. I found a business card on a corkboard at an art supply store for Darya Carney, Traditional Orthodox Iconography in Egg Tempera. This was the break I had been looking for; it turned out that Mrs. Carney was the wife of a Russian orthodox priest and had been painting icons for more than 10 years, all less than a mile from my house. When I met her, Darya showed me her work. That’s when I discovered that icons are a venerated object used for meditation and prayer. She showed me all the aspects of mixing the tempera, gesso, and gilding.

The icon makers feel that the work is God moving their hands with every stroke and that the icon is imbued with the sacred spirit. So, although she didn’t feel comfortable making an icon for someone who was not orthodox, she readily agreed to answer my questions so I could write an article on the subject; she and her husband were thrilled to share the information and allow me to use their extensive library.

It was while I spent time with this couple that I saw how important the art is to them and how invaluable it must have been to people all through the period we attempt to recreate. Our ancestors believed the icon was the embodiment of the spirit talking to the artist to open a window of God’s grace.

Where do icons come from?

Praying With Icons offers this origin: “The first icon was made when King Abgar of Osrone, dying of Leprosy, sent a message begging Jesus to visit him in Edessa and cure him.  Hurrying to Jerusalem and his crucifixion, Christ sent a healing gift, instead. He pressed his face against a linen cloth, causing the square of fabric to bear his image. The miraculous icon remained in Edessa until the tenth century until when it was brought to Constantinople. After the city was sacked by the Crusaders in 1204, it disappeared altogether.  Known as ‘not made by human hands’ or the ‘Holy Face,’ the icon has been reproduced over and over until today.”

This legend was intriguing but I had suspicions that the icon might have had its life in a pre-Christian history. This bore out when I remembered a three-paneled triptych that had a goddess and two gods from Romanised Egypt.

The concept of a sacred image to aid in prayer was around before the Byzantine Empire. This theory was confirmed in Origins of Christian Art:

“Another form of painting, especially associated with the Eastern Church, was that of the icon.  The icon may well have originated in Egypt, where the common pagan practice to adorn mummy cases with portraits of the dead, or to affix wooden plaques painted with their likeness over the shrouds of the less wealthy.

“For those portraits, the encaustic process of burning colored wax into the surface of the wood was used; a technique that which had the advantage of producing a very tough finish which, combined with the climate of Egypt, made the portraits well nigh indestructible.

“The earliest known Christian icons are examples from St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai, so it seems not unlikely that the pagan Egyptians’ veneration of the likeness’ of there dead was later transferred to Christ and the Virgin.”

The author follows up later with this statement, “The earliest icon, of the sixth century, represents the Virgin, enthroned and wearing the imperial purple, as a young mother of highly individual features and positive personality.”

I confirmed this idea, in Byzantine Painting, which discusses the 6th century icons in Sinai and their resemblance to the wax funeral effigies in Egypt, and by consulting Dr. Alexander Boguslawski’s website on Russian art work (see References below).

So we have its origins and what it was used for, but why did the icon remain a stilted, unchanging style?

To sum it up, I offer this quote from, E. H. Gombrich’s The Story Of Art:

“The Egyptians had largely drawn what they knew to exist, the Greeks what they saw: in the Middle Ages, the artist also learned to express in his pictures what he felt.”

The artist didn’t feel the need to show the reality of a portrait, but instead the mystery and symbolism of the saint or religious figure — the feeling of the holy and the miraculous.

When I inquired to my resident icon maker regarding the unchanging nature of the art, Mrs. Carney said that the people who painted icons in the Middle Ages and earlier are closer to the time when the venerated walked this earth. To deviate from those images would be to go away from what the image is supposed to look like. The icon is to be meditated upon and, when combined with prayer, should cause you to reflect on that person’s work on this earth and the message of the kingdom of heaven. Icons are simple and unchanging; nothing to distract or to take focus away from their primary objective. The faces, while kind and somewhat stoic, are never to be sensual or beautiful enough to distract your mind from worship.

What happened to so many of the early icons?

I wondered why there were so few icons from the 10th century; why was there a gap in their history? Once again, Mrs. Carney had the answer and explained that they were ordered to be destroyed when they where thought to be too close to idol worshiping. I went to the library and learned  that between 726 and 843 AD, the Byzantine Empire was caught in a huge debate on whether the icon was a venerated object or an idol.

One side of the fence was the Iconoclasm: this word comes from the Greek eikon (icon) and klao (destroy). This group felt that icons and images of God, the saints, and apostles were idols. They felt that when God said to Moses, “Thou shalt not make an idol, thou shalt not bow down to (idols) nor serve them” (Exodus 40-4-5), that these icons were in violation of that decree and had to be destroyed.

The Iconophiles, or lovers of these images, were the ones who argued in support of their use. They formulated rules of icon painting and the prayers to govern their use. They cited stories of icons healing people in times of need and making wells run with water. “They must be blessed by God, if the miracles happen,” they argued.

In 725, this argument came to a head when Emperor Leo III began to write a document, Legos, to condemn the holy images.  He had serious problems with the new Arabic religion, Islam, rising at his back door. In 726, during the turmoil after an earthquake, the image of Christ was removed from the gates. It was said that a group of iconophiles killed the guards. Leo had had enough problems and he finally ordered all the icons removed from the churches in 730. He believed their use was angering God and the Moslems were God’s punishment. Strangely enough, the Moslem faith had restrictions on the human body in religious art as well.

The icon would have died out completely had it not been for Empress Irene, who convinced the Council of Nicaea to call the removal of icons a “detestable error” in 787. By 843, her son Emperor Michael III had the face of Christ replaced on the gates to the palace.

How are icons made?

When most people think of icons, they picture a wooden slab-like board with gesso and tempera paint. The truth is that the very early icons were made using a colored wax burned into wood. We also see icons made of frescos applied directly on walls, as well as cloisonné glass in a frame. There are even remnants of mosaic icons made with tiny ceramic tiles.

During the 10th century, the icon settled into the style we now generally consider its typical form: a slab of wood; sanded and squared; sized in an animal hide glue (sealed and making a base for the gesso to adhere); gessoed with a mixture of white alabaster or plaster and size (animal hide glues); painted with a mixture of tempera (a pigment suspended in egg yolk); and sealed with a copal resin varnish.

Why is Russia connected to icons?

The early Russian people, called  “Rus,” were Vikings settlers. They began visiting Constantinople in 838.  In 860, they attempted an aborted attack on the city. The Emperor negotiated monies for protection but it wasn’t until 988 that Emperor Bales listed his Rus troops at 6,000 (Prince Vladimir of Kiev).

The Rus had contact with the Byzantine Empire as the Varangian Guard. We know that Vladimir (ruler from 980 to 1015) converted to Orthodox Christianity.  This was accomplished through his sister Anna’s marriage to the Emperor Basil II around 989. The event was marked in the settlement of Kiev by a church being built, dedicated to the Holy Mother of God. Craftsmen from the Byzantine Empire were sent to build and decorate it.

This convergence of craftsmen was to continue as more churches where built. But when the Byzantine Empire became more riddled with civil war in 1321, the throne was eventually abdicated in 1328. The Empire was crumbling and the artists and crafts men could see the writing on the wall. In 1453, the Byzantine artists (particularly the icon makers) fled to Christian lands that would accept their icons. They knew the Moslem religion with its prohibitions on recreating the image of holy figures would not take kindly to them.

Stable and entrenched in the Orthodox Church, the Russians welcomed them in, as did Greece. By this time, the Church in Europe had moved to portable altar work for personal uses, such as triptychs and diptychs, and had left behind the stilted look of the Byzantine icons.

In Russia and Greece, the reproduction of icons never deviating from the original was respected and kept alive until modern times. Even today, you can purchase an icon made by a Russian icon maker with the appropriate prayers said over the work as it is painted, bearing the approved subject matter and symbols.

References

Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Boguslawski, Alexander, PhD (2002) Russian painting web site, www.rollins.edu/foreign_lang/Russian/ruspaint.html

Forest, Jim (1977) “Praying With Icons” ISBN 1-57075-112-9

Gilbert, Stuart (1979) “Byzantine Painting” ISBN 0-8478-0225-6

Gombrich, E.H. (1979) “The Story Of Art” ISBN 071481208

Gough, Michael (1972) “The Origins of Christian Art” LCC 73-8233

Lowden, John (1997) “Early Christian & Byzantine Art” ISBN 0-7148-3168-9

 

Appendix: Prayers for the Iconographer

This was supplied to me by my resident icon maker. I do not know the age or history around this set of prayers. It has been established that, even in period, no icon was considered holy until prayers where performed for consecration and guidance of the iconographer’s hand.

A Prayer for Consecrating an Iconographer

from Mt. Athos

Thou Who hast so admirably imprinted Thy features on the cloth sent to King Abgar of Edessa, and hast so wonderfully inspired Luke Thy Evangelist: Enlighten my soul and that of Thy servant; Guide his hand that he may reproduce Thy features, those of the Holy Virgin and of all Thy saints, for the glory and peace of Thy Holy Church. Spare him from temptations and diabolical imaginations in the name of Thy Mother, St. Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.

Prayer Before Beginning an Icon

O DIVINE LORD of all that exists, Thou hast illumined the Apostle and Evangelist Luke with Thy Holy Spirit, thereby enabling him to represent Thy most Holy Mother, the One who held Thee in her arms and said: The Grace of Him Who has been born of me is spread throught the world! Enlighten and direct my soul, my heart and my spirit. Guide the hands of Thine unworthy servant so that I may worthily and perfectly portray Thine Icon, that of Thy Mother, and all the Saints, for the glory, joy and adornment of Thy Holy Church. Forgive my sins and the sins of those who will venerate these icons and who, kneeling devoutly before them, give homage to those they represent. Protect them from all evil and instruct them with good counsel. This I ask through the intercession of Thy most Holy Mother, the Apostle Luke, and all the Saints. Amen.

Prayer After Completing an Icon

Thou, Thyself, O LORD, art the fulfillment and completion of all good things. Fill my soul with joy and gladness, for Thou alone art the Lover of mankind. Let Thy grace sanctify and dwell within this icon, that it may edify and inspire those who gaze upon it and venerate it; that in glorifying the one depicted, they may be repentant of their sins and strengthened against every attack of the adversary. Through the prayers of the Theotokos, the holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, and all the Saints, O Savior, save us! Amen

 

Excellent Internet Sites

 

The Cheap SCAdian: How to Look Darn Good While Still Paying Your Rent

20 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by in Costuming, Fiber Arts

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By Lady Miklos Magdolna (Kathleen Dehring).

Unlike other historical organizations, the SCA does not have a specific defined time period, rules for historical garments, or the need to approve a participant’s tent, clothing, and accessories to allow entry to an event.

With that said, there are two major schools of thought concerning attendees and the amount of accuracy (“periodness”) any one should be. Those are:

  1. We are a historical organization and every inch of your clothing and camp should be accurate, or
  2. Whatever makes you feel good.

There is a third option which is, I think, a better one: Give people support and allow them a learning curve to explore and discover the culture and era they wish to emulate.

In that vein, this is an overview on achieving a “period” look without ordering expensive garments from a company or spending your whole paycheck on fabric.

  1. Realistically ask yourself what you can spend. Make that your budget and stick to it. What good is there in having costly duponi silk when your electricity is turned off because you didn’t  pay your bill?
  2. Be very realistic about your garment-making abilities. If you can hardly operate a sewing machine, then starting with an Elizabethan gown pattern will just be an exercise in futility and frustration. The SCA has many people who can give advice or even lessons in sewing. Better yet, the Society has many people who will sew you a garment in trade or barter. One of the most popular places to make these trades is on Facebook in the group “SCA Medieval Barter Town.”

If you can sew fairly well and have access to a sewing machine, then the most simple of garments can be made in a weekend and look wonderful. t-tunicThe T tunic dates from the earliest to middle parts of our time period, covering several different centuries and countries. Generally, the tunic was constructed of linen or wool fabric (sometimes silk) with embellishments such as embroidery, narrow works, or beadwork, and contrasting fabrics at the neck, wrists, and hem. Linen generally varies in cost from $10 a yard to $25, and wool likewise.

So, how can an affordable garment be made?

  1. Measure yourself accurately and honestly. The goal is to get enough fabric but not have yards left over.
  2. Pre-wash and dry your fabrics before cutting it. It is important that all shrinkage happen before the pieces are sewn together. This will also alert you if the dye color runs. If working with 100% wool DO NOT wash on hot or use a hot dryer, as a yard can shrink down to a fat quarter of fabric.
  3. When using a pattern, place the pieces on the fabric as close together as possible while allowing for seam allowances. Keep an eye on the layout so that you do not cut some fabrics on the bias or “stretchy” part of the fabric, particularly with wool.
  4. Double-check your pattern placement, especially if the fabric is patterned, so that the design lines up (if you desire it), then boldly cut.
  5. Sewing process and seam binding. (This is another article.)

Where do you get fabric?

The obvious answer is the fabric store (Jo-Anns, etc.). Fortunately, they often have coupons, doorbuster sales, and the beloved clearance section. The prices for wool tend to get better in the summer, while linen (considered a summer fabric) tends to go on sale in the winter. Other venues for purchasing fabric are online stores (such as Fabrics-store.com for linen, Fabric.com for wool, Carolinacalicoes.com for linen and linen blends, and Thaisilks.com for silk), resellers like Ebay or Etsy, or, for the truly adventurous, the thrift store can have those materials at a fraction of the cost.

Thrifting involves creativity. There can be bolts of donated fabric, or you may uncover 100% linen curtains and wool blankets. The drawback to employing this method is that there is no guarantee you will find something. Also, the materials may not be the color or amount needed for your project. In another class, bleaching, dying, and pattern stamping will be addressed so you can make more fabrics usable.

Another place to find fabrics is at some Walmarts (although not all sell fabric anymore), and the prices are generally very inexpensive. The issues with this store are the lack of accurate cutting, fabric content labels, and knowledgeable staff who can answer questions. Sometimes you can get a bargain, but more times than not it’s yards of frustration.

Tip: Always look at the fabric content marked normally on the end of the bolt. Remember that the higher the man-made fibers, the less the garment will breathe.  This can elevate body temperature and make the wearer extremely uncomfortable.

How do you identify the type of fabric when there is no fiber content label?

When you are at home, you can do a burn test. However, doing that is out of the question when you’re still in the store or thrift shop! The best you can do there is feel the fabric and determine if it feels like a natural fabric. If possible, pull one thread loose and try to break it. Unnatural/synthetic fibers tend to snap while cottons, linens, and wools tend to stretch or pull apart.

Linen (Flax)

A cellulose fiber, it takes longer to ignite. It is easily extinguished by blowing on it. Other properties are similar to hemp and jute.

Rayon

A manufactured cellulose fiber. It burns without flame or melting and may flare up. Unless there is a fabric finish, it doesn’t leave any bead. After the flame is removed, it may glow a bit longer than cotton. It smells like burning paper and leaves soft, gray ash. It’s smoke is a little hazardous.

Silk

A protein fiber that burns slowly and curls away from the flame. It leaves a dark bead that can be easily crushed. It is self-extinguishing and leaves ash that is a dark, gritty, fine powder. It smells like burned hair or charred meat. It gives out little or no smoke and the fume is not hazardous.

Wool

A protein fiber that burns slowly. It sizzles and curls away from flame and may curl back into a fingernail. It leaves beads that are brittle, dark, and easily crushed. It is self-extinguishing and leaves a harsh ash from crushed bead. It emits a strong odor of burning hair or feathers, as well as dark smoke and moderate fume.

Acetate, Triacetate

Protein fibers that burn quickly and can flare even after flame is removed. The bead is hard, brittle, and can’t be crushed. It melts into a very hot bead and drips very dangerously. No ash is left by it and the smell is like hot vinegar or burning pepper. It gives out black smoke and the fume is hazardous.

Nylon, Polyamide

Manufactured fabrics made from petroleum. Due to their fabric finish, they quickly burn and shrink to flame. The beads are hard, grayish, and uncrushable. After flame, they burn slowly and melt. They are self-extinguishing but drip dangerously. Their odor is like celery and they leave no ash but the fume is very hazardous.

Polyester

A polymer produced from coal, air, water, and petroleum products. It burns quickly and shrinks away from flame, but may also flare up. It leaves hard, dark, and round beads. After the flame, it burns slowly and is not always self-extinguishing. It has a slightly sweet chemical odor. It leaves no ash but the  black smoke and fume are hazardous.

Acrylic, Modacrylic, Polyacrylic

Manufactured fabrics from natural gas and petroleum, they flare up at match-touch, shrink from flame, burn rapidly with hot sputtering flame, and drip dangerously. Beads are hard, dark, and with irregular shapes. They continue melting after flame is removed and are self-extinguishing. When burning, they give out a strong acrid, fishy odor. Although no ash is left, their black smoke and fume are hazardous.

Happy New Year from the Gazette!

01 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Arts & Sciences, Esoterica

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The Æthelmearc Gazette wishes each and every one of you a New Year filled with happiness, health and all things SCAdian! To that end, we are offering you links from several of our editors to start the year off right. (Our complete staff listing can be found on our ABOUT page; we’re looking forward to a fabulous 2015!)

692px-Lorenzo_Lotto_046From Mistress Ysabeau Tiercelin, our Managing Editor, we have the Realm of Venus. This site is the go-to site for anyone interested in the clothing and accessories of Renaissance Italy, especially sixteenth century Venice. The Wardrobe section alone, with its numerous original portrait sources, is worth the visit. The Showcase features the work of costumers and reenactors, along with fun garb and accessory contests.

A-43From our Region 1 Editor, THL Ursula of Rouen, Raymond’s Quiet Press. “As a Viking I can’t be caught without my bling and Sir Raymond keeps me in good supply! He has a great selection of quality pieces from a myriad of time periods. Has documentation for many of his pieces and is quite affordable. Did you know that he will (or still did last time I asked) dip most anything he makes in silver or gold for a nominal (and reasonable) fee? Check him out online here or in person at Pennsic!”

7002613From our Region 2 Editor, Mistress Hilderun Hugelmann, the Karen Larsdatter Material Culture Links Pages. This link takes you right to the site map where an amazing number of topics related to our time period will bring you to the links pages for those subjects. On clothing alone you have topics like Clothing Worn by the Blind, Patched Clothing, and Clothing with Blackwork Embroidery. Each links page features numerous primary source pictures from period art.

non4From our Region 3 Editor, Mistress Euriol of Lothian, Stefan’s Florilegeum. in medieval Latin, a florilegium (plural florilegia) was a compilation of excerpts from other writings. It was also applied literally to a treatise on flowers or medieval books that were dedicated to ornamental rather than the medicinal or utilitarian plants covered by the herbals of the time. This site is another massive links collection, first started in 1989 by THL Stefan li Rous. Articles, bibliography collections, primary source collections, message thread postings from the original SCA Rialto internet message boards, and many topics helpful for running and planning SCA events (from feasts to event stewarding) will keep you browsing for a long time.

il_570xN_561508893_1iv2From our Region 4 and Scheduling Editor, Lord Magnus de Lyons, The Purple Needles, “because without her I would be wearing mostly potatoe sacks.” The Etsy site features creations by Jynette Meade (Countess Lynette Semere of Atlantia in the SCA) including cast pewter buttons, houpelandes and hoods. She also does custom work.

From our Arts & Sciences and Youth Martial Combat Editor, Mistress Arianna of Wynthrope, The Pennsic Choir Recordings. The Known World Choirs perform at events throughout the SCA. People from all over the Known World threeClericsSinging-300x295gather to learn and perform period choral music at large events like Pennsic, Gulf Wars, and Estrella. Its Pennsic Choirs consist of a Children’s Choir, a Youth Choir, a select choir of 12-16 people called Chorulus Pennsicus, and the original open adult Pennsic Choir which has been performing for over 20 years. MP3s of last Pennsic’s performances can be downloaded from the KWC website, and it also has pages with resources for choirs and information about upcoming performances.

mosfell_leirvogur_bayFrom our Poetry & Prose Editor, Baron Fridrikr Tomasson, a video from the Mosfell Archaeology Project in Iceland.  It features Dr. Jesse Byock, from UCLA, one of the leading experts on Icelandic archaeology and culture. The video covers history of interest to Viking personae, along with beautiful scenery and an in-depth look at what takes place on an archaeological dig.

book-of-hoursFrom our Links & Esoterica Editor, Dame Aoife Finn, Project Gutenberg. The Project Gutenberg website offers over 46,000 free ebooks: choose among free epub books, free Kindle books, download books or read them online. There is also a mobile site, as well as sites in German, Portuguese and French. A few finds in a quick search included Xenophon’s On Horsemanship, H. Kevorkian’s The Arts of Persia, and Eileen Power’s Medieval English Nunneries c. 1275 to 1535.

Medieval_bakerFrom our Food and Cooking Editor, Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina, the Medieval Cookery website. The site features lots of excellent redactions, plus many original food and cookbook texts. The redacted medieval recipe section is an excellent starting point for SCA feasts, and the Medieval Menus and Statistics from Medieval Cookbooks are great food research tools.

DSCN0984From our Heavy List editor, Baron Dominic McMorland, the Armour Archives. From message boards on armour, fighting and chivalry to merchant sites and patterns for those making their own, the Armour Archive covers it all. Check out the Items for Sale/Classifieds for pre-owned items!

PHMC393_5rap_lrFrom our Rapier Editor, Don William Parris, the Wiktenauer website. It has facsimiles and transcripts from martial masters throughout the centuries, along with links to other academic sites. Wiktenauer is an ongoing collaboration among researchers and practitioners from across the Western martial arts community, seeking to collect all of the primary and secondary source literature that makes up the text of historical European martial arts research and to organize and present it in a scholarly but accessible format. The Wiktenauer project is named for Johannes Liechtenauer,  grand master of the oldest known longsword fencing style; his tradition was also the best-documented of the early Modern era, the subject of many dozens of manuscripts and books over a period of more than three centuries.

Wishing you all the best!
~ the Æthelmearc Gazette Staff