Portable Icons Techniques

My icons are made using traditional Byzantine technique of the egg-tempera, over a piece of wood

prepared in the traditional way, the saint or the composition are drawn and the gold plating follows

with 23 carats gold in sheets, glued or polished and subsequently, the painting with earthen

colours, dissolved with egg yolk, water and vinegar.

Finishing with the polishing of the icon. The polish is made of resins, mat or polished.

Water gilding techniqe is the application of gold leaves onto a flat or embossed surface,after this has

been first treated with special materials and tools in order to create a smooth underlay with "bollo".

Then, using specially processed agate stone, we accomplish the proper abrasion (glazing) as well as

homogeneity of the golden surface, thus providing a flawless aesthetic result, in which gold is

transformed into the perfect “mirror.” The careful selection, the proper analogies and the right

mixture of the materials, the studied application as well as their procession on the wood and gold,

along with our long experience in the gilding with agate stone, serve as a guarantee for the perfect

application and radiance of gold that will stand the test of time.

Place the cursor on an image and use the mouse roll in order to zoom in and observe the detail in

which we manufacture the glaze-gilded icons.

The art of Tsukaniko

Tsukaniko is the technique by which we engrave shapes, letters and generally various patterns on the

polished gold, the work takes another form and greater value.