Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice

Figure 2a, b. One of two cuts, top, showing
medalliollS of all arChat1gel alld an Old Tes­
tament prophet; m'ld Blessing Christ, depict­
ed ill the central medal/ioll, below. Photo­
graphs by Z. Skalova.

86

shop. Dissemination of such fo rmulae may even have caused decoration of

this type to occur on the back sides of icons in the collection of St. Cath­

erine's Monastery at Sinai (7). However, these Sinaitic panels are skillfully

made from imported wood; and they are analogous to many Byzantine icons

preserved in Europe, rather than to the Coptic icons (8).

The icon supports in the Nile valley must have been made according to a

different studio tradition. According to their technology, they clearly fit into

the context of native (presumably Coptic) practice. Furthermore, the majority

of the previously mentioned technical characteristics can be traced back to

the industries and materials of Graeco-Roman and Pharaonic Egypt (9).

Two medieval beam icons

Two unique beam icons in the church of St. Mercurius Abu's-Saifain may be

singled out fo r discussion. This church was the seat of the Coptic patriarchy

in the Middle Ages and it is likely that both sacred pictures were made fo r

it (10).

The first icon, The Virgin with Child Enthroned between Archangels, Nine Church

Fathers and Nine Coptic Monks, measures 44.5 X 246.5 cm, and is shown in

Plate 17 and Figures 3 (left) and 4a, b. The second icon, Six Equestrian Saints

(originally ten saints), measures 45 X 207.5 cm and is shown in Plates 18a,

b and in Figures 2a, b; 3 (right); and 4c-e. The two icons will be referred to

here as beam A and beam B, respectively.

Thanks to Butler's description and drawing, the conservation history of these

two icons can be traced back more than a century (Fig. 3). Both icons were

repeatedly restored. Beam A is preserved in its original fo rm, which has

helped in reconstructing the structurally altered beam B. Butler counted only

fo ur horsemen in beam B (Fig. 3, right). To day, remarkably, beam B consists

of six horsemen. Some time in the past, this longitudinal icon was cut into

pieces. Meanwhile, two more horsemen from the original beam were added

to Butler's fragment (Figs. 2a, 4c).

The equestrian saints are depicted in sculptured and gilded arches that carry

eleven alternating medallions with Old Testament prophets, archangels, and

the blessing Christ. Each horseman is identified by inscriptions in Coptic and

Arabic.

Additionally, the symmetry of beam B is marred by the fa ct that the six holy

horsemen are riding in conflicting directions. It is obvious that their initial

order and number have been changed. Two cuts, visible in the restored panel,

confirm this observation (Fig. 4c). Such an intervention must have been the

work of a person who fa iled to understand the symbolism of this picture. It

seems unlikely that these saints were arranged to gallop away from the Savior

instead of toward him, as is proper in a hieratic composition. Christ, depicted

en buste in one of the medallions, can be seen on Butler's fragment (Fig. 2b).

If the placement of Christ's medallion is accepted as being in the middle of

the beam icon, the number of horsemen comes to ten. When reconstructed,

beam B should be about 350 cm long (Fig. 4e). Clearly, both beams were

conceived together to fo rm part of broader didactic program.

A peculiar aspect of both paintings is their carpentry. They are assembled

from irregularly cut horizontal pieces, three across the width and nine across

the length (Figures 4b and 4d). Additional sculptured arches are nailed on the

front. On the reverse, vertically placed traverses hold the planks together. Both

\lnnooonnl llnoOOII

FiJ!urc 3. Bea1l1 A (lift); bealll B (riJ!ht). Drawillg by A!fred BIIIler, 1884.

Historical Painting Techniques, Materials, and Studio Practice