Painters as Scribes and the Materiality of Writing in Byzantine Monumental Decoration

The interior of a Byzantine church was a space densely inscribed with text. The number, visual appearance, and placement of inscriptions varied widely, depending on factors such as the symbolic significance of the texts according to their type, the painters’ training, and the practical realities of inscribing on the painted walls of a church. This paper examines these aspects through a group of churches on the island of Naxos, Greece, executed by painters trained within the same workshop at the turn of the 13th to the 14th century. In these churhces, inscriptions are exceptionally abundant and meticulously rendered, revealing a pronounced concern not only for their meaning but also for their visual display and materiality in the painted space. More specifically, the discussion will adress: a) the variation in graphic presentation of the inscriptions according to spatial context, whether placed on high or low surfaces, or on vertical or curved surfaces; b) the adaptation of epigraphic style to the material, colour, and symbolic qualities of the objects and the surfaces upon which the inscriptions were written; and c) the incorporation of features and ornamental details derived from manuscript culture, and their adaptation to the material and spatial conditions of painted inscriptions, in relation to the skills and training of the painter-scribes. These observations highlight how the interplay between script and surface—mediated by the painters’ technical skill and sensitivity to material and its symbolic connotations—shaped the making and reception of inscriptions in Byzantine monumental painting. Through the translation of writing across media, the painters echoed aspects of Byzantine script culture within the painted space. The materiality of writing thus emerges as a crucial element in the process of inscribing on painted walls, revealing the painter-scribe’s ability to mediate between text and matter through a mode of practice that combined technical mastery with interpretive insight.