Scientific study of an icon of St George and the youth from
Mytilene
This small icon initially seems to be
made in a typical way, with a wooden frame which is either part of
the smoothed pine panel used for the painting (an integral frame),
or made by adding an additional wooden piece (an engaged frame).
However, close examination by British Museum scientists and
conservators shows the frame is in fact made of strips of folded
linen and parchment joined together.
This is very unusual but is remarkably similar
to the frame on another small icon which comes from St Catherine’s
Monastery, Sinai suggesting the two pieces were probably made in
the same workshop.
Studies have shown that after the frame was
constructed the whole surface was coated with a thick layer of
gypsum (calcium sulphate) in a protein-based glue, and the image
was drawn freehand onto this gesso layer.
Lines were also incised into the gypsum,
following the outer edge of the image and the profile of the
mountains in the background, marking the boundary between the area
to be painted and area for the raised decoration. This raised
decoration (known as pastiglia), also made of gypsum, was
applied to the gesso covering the background and the raised frame
to the very edge.
An infrared reflectogram (a type of photograph
taken using infrared radiation rather than visible light) of the
painting allows us to look through the paint to the initial
freehand drawing where we can see a number of changes were made
between this first sketch and the final picture.