Guide to Byzantine Iconography, Volume One

Guide to Byzantine Iconography, Volume One: Detailed explanation of the distinctive characteristics of Byzantine iconography, of the traditional pattern of decorating Eastern Orthodox churches with panel icons, wall paintings, and mosaics, and of the chief Doctrinal, Liturgical, and Festal icons; together with a concise systematic exposition of Saint John Damascene’s defense of holy icons

Publication Data: Belmont, MA: Institute for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, 2010
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: 266
Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.5 cm × 15.1 cm × 1.6 cm
Additional Information: two-color printing, full-color and black-and-white illustrations
ISBN: 0‒943405‒05‒X


Second Edition

By Constantine Cavarnos

Volume One of Guide to Byzantine Iconography

“The present volume is a book about icons[...which deals...]with many tenets and teachings of iconography rarely found, if to be found at all, in the English language, such as Archetypes, Frontality, Hieraticalness, Inverted and Psychological Perspective, Abolition of Time, etc. One can rightly say that the present volume is a handbook of Orthodox iconography for both the iconographer and the layman, for both the faithful and the student and friend of iconography. In less than three hundred pages one comes across information that it would take searching many volumes to find.”
—“FOREWORD”

CONTENTS

   FOREWORD
   PREFACE
   LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Introduction
   Byzantine Iconography as a Sacred Art
   Its History
   Themes of Byzantine Iconography
   Frontality
   The Face
   Archetypes
   The Halo
   The Garments
   The Members of the Body
   Objects
   The Background
   Inverted and Psychological Perspective
   Abolition of Time
   Aesthetic Features
   Hieraticalness
   Iconography and Architecture
   Classification of Icons
Part One
Panel Icons on Proskynetaria and on the Iconostasis
   CHAPTER I. PROSKYNETARIA
   CHAPTER II. THE ICONOSTASIS
Part Two
Murals: Wall Painting and Mosaics
   CHAPTER I. THE DOCTRINAL CYCLE
   Christ as the Door
   Christ as Pantocrator
   Choir of Angels
   Prophets
   The Four Evangelists
   The Theotokos as Platytera
   The Second Coming of Christ
   CHAPTER II. THE LITURGICAL CYCLE
   The Divine Liturgy
   Communion of the Apostles
   Great Hierarchs
   Other Figures
   CHAPTER III. THE FESTAL CYCLE
   The Annunciation
   The Nativity
   The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
   The Baptism
   The Transfiguration
   The Raising of Lazarus
   The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem
   The Crucifixion
   The Resurrection
   The Touching of Thomas
   The Myrrh-bearing Women
   Apostles Peter and John at the Tomb
   The Ascension
   Pentecost
   The Dormition of the Theotokos
   CHAPTER IV. THE LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT
Appendix
   SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE’S DEFENSE OF ICONOGRAPHY AND THE VENERATION OF HOLY ICONS
   BIBLIOGRAPHY
   INDEX OF ICONOGRAPHIC THEMES
   GENERAL INDEX