Icons on Glass: Materials and Technique

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the SpringerBriefs in Materials book series (BRIEFSMATERIALS)

Abstract

Peasant icons on glass offer a strange image of a folk art, clearly outlined and unique in its technical quality and sensitivity. While a few paintings on glass were found in Central Europe (mainly Bohemia and Austria), the area where this type of craft was practiced extensively and reached maturity was Transylvania and Northern Moldova. The beginnings of this artistic Romanian pursuit are not well known. Because of the frailty of the glass support, and of the poor adherence of the color to this shiny, non-porous surface, many, far too many, ancient icons on glass have disappeared over time. Icons found in different collections, which bear an indication that makes it possible to date them, belong usually to the second half of the eighteenth century (Fig. 10.1) (Wendt HC (1953) Rumänische Ikonenmalerei. Eine kunstgeschichtliche Darstellung. Erich Röth Verlag, Eisenach). In the Romanian area this genre reached its pinnacle between 1830–1900. After 1900 this technique was used by very few iconographers (Ioanidu IC, Radulescu GG (1942) Icons on glass.Bulletin of the Commission for Historical Monuments, fasc 113–114).

Keywords

Painted Layer Copper Acetate Walnut Shell Mural Painting Gold Leaf 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. 1.
    Wendt HC (1953) Rumänische Ikonenmalerei. Eine kunstgeschichtliche Darstellung. Erich Röth Verlag, EisenachGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Ioanidu IC, Radulescu GG (1942) Icons on glass. Bulletin of the Commission for Historical Monuments, fasc. 113–114Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Dancu I, Dancu D (1975) Peasant painting on glass. Editura de Stat pentru Literatura si Arta, BucharestGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Iorga N (1934) Les arts mineurs en Roumanie, vol. I. Édition de L’Imprimerie de L’État. BucharestGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Mihalcu M, Leonida MD (2009) Din tainele iconarilor romani de altadata. Ed. Eikon, Cluj-NapocaGoogle Scholar
  6. 6.
    Irimie C, Focsa M (1969) Romanian icons painted on glass. Ed. Meridiane, BucharestGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Mureşanu A (1977) Reflexii (Restituiri). Ed. Dacia, Cluj-NapocaGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Mihalcu M (1984) Romanian medieval values. Ed. Sport-Turism, BucharestGoogle Scholar
  9. 9.
    Mihalcu M, Leonida MD (1981) Romanian medieval techniques for the synthesis of HgS. Bul Fiz Chim 5:242–245Google Scholar
  10. 10.
    Popescu AI (1969) Arta icoanelor pe sticla de la Nicula. Ed. Meridiane, BucharestGoogle Scholar
  11. 11.
    Irimie C (1971) Icons on glass. Ed. Meridiane, BucharestGoogle Scholar
  12. 12.
    Mihalcu M, Leonida MD (2013) The hidden face of form and color, 2nd edn. Ed. Eikon, Cluj-Napoca, p. 244Google Scholar

Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.School of Natural ScienceFairleigh Dickinson UniversityTeaneckUSA

Personalised recommendations