Research and Conservation of the “Mandylion” Icon of Ciolpani Monastery, Romania
Research and Conservation of the “Mandylion” Icon of Ciolpani Monastery, Romania

Summary/Abstract: The “Mandylion” icon belongs to Ciolpani Monastery in Bacău County, Romania. It is part of the central iconostasis of “Saint Nicholas” wooden church. The painting renders the countenance of Jesus Christ, inspired by the image of Edessa, on a white napkin, visible against the blue background. The icon was painted using the tempera technique on wooden support. The pictorial layer consists of a gypsum-based ground layer, color and varnish layers. The halo was made with a gold leaf, in the traditional technique, on bole with glue. The painting technique and stylistic manner indicate that the icon was painted in a Moldavian workshop, in a post-Byzantine style, with Ruthenian influences, in the second half of the eighteenth century. Following physical and chemical investigations, extensive over-paintings were revealed that changed the appearance of the original painting. The conservation-restoration operations aimed at removing over-paintings and subsequent inappropriate fillings, after which the lacunar areas were completed by grouting and chromatic integration, by tratteggio methods and in a pointillist style.

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