Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 30. (Budapest, 2016)
Szilveszter TERDIK: “Athonite” Miniature Carvings at the Museum of Applied Arts
SZILVESZTER TÉRDIK “ATHONITE” MINIATURE CARVINGS AT THE MUSEUM OF APPLIED ARTS Preserved in almost all of the more ancient Orthodox monasteries and churches can be found carved, often pierced, crosses and encolpia, decorated with miniature depictions, which are referred to commonly - even by museum experts and art dealers - as “Athonite carvings”, after the famous Mount Athos. This term is placed within inverted commas in order to remind us, as art history scholars are inclined to do, that such intricately carved works were frequently produced not only on the Holy Mountain, but also in many other monasteries. Indeed, it is likely that they were made not just by monks, but also by secular masters, although it is clear that a monastic lifestyle would be most ideal for such a time-consuming, painstakingly detailed occupation. Monastery residents obeyed the exhortation of Saint Paul (Ephesians, 4:28) - that everybody should engage in useful labour - and, following the traditions of the Desert Fathers, worked with their hands while they prayed.1 The practice of making carvings - which were mostly of wood, especially boxwood, and sometimes horn - began to spread in the sixteenth century, flourished for the next two centuries, and embarked on a gradual decline in the nineteenth century.2 It cannot be entirely ruled out that a few tiny, archaic objects may originate from the Middle Ages, but dating such pieces is not always conclusive.3 It would appear that the use of boxwood grew as a substitute for ivory which was extremely popular in Middle Byzantine art, although very much a luxury item - and for steatite - which appeared from the eleventh century onwards - although there is evidence that certain monks were carving ivory as late as the seventeenth century. The treasury of Vatopaidi Monastery owns the only known surviving ivory cross from this period, from 1678.4 The names of the carvers are rarely known, although there are some signed pieces from as early as the sixteenth century. A certain Georgios Laskaris, for example, inscribed his name on eight altar crosses from the second half of the sixteenth century. Approximately twenty- five further pieces can be attributed to him or, more likely, to his workshop or followers. The miniature scenes on the crosses are accompanied by Greek titles, although some of the unsigned items bear Latin inscriptions. There is no knowing if the carver was a monk or a secular master, and there is only speculation that he worked on Crete.5 In the seventeenth century, some smaller crosses were signed “Work of Gabriel”, and this name is carved into the vertical arm of the cross in the Crucifixion scene. Two works by him are preserved in the Athonite Xeropotamou Monastery.6 Very little is known about the techniques used to create the objects. It is presumed that the makers worked with chisels crafted out of needles,7 and it is possible that they also used lenses. 55
