Non-Invasive Analysis of Cypriot Composite Icons: Methods and Findings

This paper focuses on composite icons – icons consisting of two panels, usually made at different times, joined together by inserting one into another. First described by Panayotis L. Vocotopoulos, icons of this category are rare and discussed mainly in the context of methods for keeping icons in good condition, even though there appears to be an internal diversity of the phenomenon, with various techniques of insertion and motivations behind it. Icons of this form are particularly numerous on Cyprus and have some characteristics absent in composite icons from other territories. This paper presents the preliminary results of a non-invasive study of a group of Cypriot composite icons that is part of a research grant “Non-Invasive Analysis of Cypriot Composite Icons” funded by the National Science Centre, Poland (2024/53/N/HS2/01549). The analysis was based on the integration of digital imaging techniques and spectroscopic methods (ultraviolet fluorescence imaging (UVF), infrared reflected (IR) and infrared false color image processing (IRFC), infrared reflectography (IRR), reflectance transformation imaging (RTI), X-ray radiography (XRR), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and was conducted by the Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories (APAC Labs) of the Cyprus Institute. It provided information on the materials and techniques as well as information on the later history of icons and their modifications and restorations over time, thus complementing the methods of art history. This approach provides a better understanding of the unusual form of composite icons, various techniques of insertion, the purpose for their production, and their subsequent use and reuse.