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Athos Holy Mount

Antimensia
12.8 Antimension - Bronzeplate
1842
Chelandari Monastery. Library
Engraver: Ignatios, hieromonk
43 x 53 cm (plate)
41.5 x 50.5 cm (representation)
Mount Athos. Karyes

 

The Original New Testament

Finely engraved bronzeplate, in excellent condition, used for printing antimensia on cloth.

The development of printing made it possible to reproduce and decorate antimensia quickly and easily, using the copperplate method. By the last quarter of the eighteenth century Mount Athos had acquired a leading role as a centre for engraving and producing religious prints. We know the names of many of the engravers, both monks and laymen, who set up on the Holy Mountain the workshops from which issued whole series of antimensia; thus they developed, over the years, the familiar 'Hagioritic type' of decoration for this liturgical vestment which, as represented by this bronzeplate made by the engraver hieromonk Ignatios (1842), constitutes a special group within the third period.

The principal characteristic of the so-called 'Hagioritic type' of antimension is the iconographic innovation of adding a series of small icons with liturgical and festal themes and scenes from the Life of Christ as a frame around the central theme of the Lamentation, now substantially confined to the centre. This iconographic version, considered to be the creation of the monk Theophilos of Corfu (1826), was copied on virtually all subsequent Athonite antimensia produced by the engravers Daniel (1836), Anthimos the Peloponnesian (1837, 1847) and Ioannis Kaldis (1869, 1870, 1878), as well as by Ignatios (1842). The iconographic type represented by this plate continued to be used for antimensia until the middle of the twentieth century.

This plate is engraved on its reverse with a representation of the Twelve Apostles, by the hand of the same artist (1843).

Bibliography: Davidov 1990, no. 36, p. 146.

H.N.S.
Index of exhibits of Monastery of Chelandari
19th century

The Authentic Greek New Testament Bilingual New Testament I

Icon of the Mother of God and New Testament Reader Promote Greek Learning
Three Millennia of Greek Literature

Learned Freeware

 

Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/athos/en/e218cl8.asp