How amazing is it that you received this in a postcard and that it means so much to you? I wish I could be of assistance tracking it down. I have forwarded this article to a friend who is exploring Orthodox religions, and perhaps she might have some idea of where to look.
That is a really interesting and intriguing icon. I think it would take me all afternoon to truly peruse it fully.
Iain, take a screen shot of the image and do a Google Image Search. When I did that I got two hits on the exact image, one of which has much more information about where the icon comes from and where it can be found. Both hits are in modern Greek, but can be set to "translate." Another thing you can do from this page is enlarge the image and make a large image JPeg of it. Then you can take it to any photo shop and have them print it in any size you like on any kind of paper, and frame it. I have done that before for images of John Sell Cotman watercolors that are not available commercially. You could of course do this with your original postcard as well.
There might not be a reproduction, but there are a lot of good iconographers out there that will make custom icons from a picture you provide. Many monasteries for example do this. I recently visited one here in California, and you just give them the picture and the specifications (size, material, etc) and they will have their iconographer make it. There are also websites: uncutmountainsupply.com and legacyicons.com are just two I know of, but there are plenty of independent iconographers that will create a custom icon for you. Or ask Jonathan Pageau :P
Beautiful! I definitely see Eastern influence there, and interestingly, the drapery is just slightly reminiscent of some Northwest Coastal Indigenous art conventions. I hope you find what you're looking for.
I also see an Eastern influence - the knot at his waist reminds of the ones on Buddhist's priests' robes, and the row upon row of attendees reminds of the "1000 Faces" design enameled on Asian porcelain. However the composition is very symmetrical, and Asian's favor asymmetry.
If you elect to get your image reproduced, I recommend the Giclee process - astonishingly accurate and realistic.
I have an historical Russian Icon, painted on wood, of St. Nicholas - also with applied gold, but not even approaching the glowing abundance depicted on "yours." Perhaps, in some mystical way, Bonhoeffer participates in that all pervasive, ongoing, glow.
My wife, who is an iconographer, looked at this photo and sees that it has a resolution of 1604 x 2195, so good quality. When she has photos of her icons done, she prints them as a plaque or giclee print at iprintfromhome.com. She also uses Bay Photo (bayphoto.com) who can print on various substrates including metal, wood, paper etc. There are probably equivalents in UK. Also, a person who has very deep knowledge about icons and their provenance is David Coomler who you can get in touch with by posting a comment (only goes to him) on his blog “Icons and Their Interpretation” (https://russianicons.wordpress.com). He may be able to help you get in touch with the museum or others. Enjoying your new book The Matter With Things. Jim, Atlanta
Many iconographers are coming to our Orthodox Arts and Food Festval May2-4 (also featuring Jonathan Pageau. Richard Rohlin and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick). Their websites are listed on our festival website. They would be happy to do a custom piece: www.orthodoxartsfestivaldfw.com
I have nothing to offer regarding the icon itself, but a wonderful book about the Oriental threads in Christianity in general is “Christ the Eternal Tao.” It’s a beautifully poetic and I would dare to say much more right-hemisphere treatment of Christianity than what we’re generally accustomed to, with many beautiful Oriental works of art gracing its pages. It was very instrumental to me on my own spiritual journey and so I never miss an opportunity to recommend it. (This is the first time I’ve ever even commented on Substack!) https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Eternal-Tao-Hieromonk-Damascene/dp/1887904239/
Thank you for sharing this! That is a beautiful and humble prayer by Bonhoeffer. It reminds me of Chrysostom’s Paschal homily, which will be proclaimed around the world in a little over a week.
What an unexpected and fascinating posting from you!
I’m sorry I don’t have an answer to your question about this unusual and I would agree Asian-influenced icon. I am typing this on my phone after three hours of sleep and am about to try for more so am not in a position to research it, but it sounds like you’ve already done what I would have tried.
I can see why you so resonate with Gerard Manley Hopkins, whom I, too, have always found a kindred, from my first published essay in 1998, where I write:
“The very thought that you can find, can experience the holy, the presence of God—‘inscape’ as Hopkins would call it—in a pomegranate, in a bowl of—as Zooey would say—Bessie’s ‘consecrated chicken soup,’ or in one of Hopkins’s bluebells is an idea that has been rattling around in my head for years. I have experienced it periodically throughout my life, this sensation and awareness of something sputtering and simmering beneath the surface. And these hierophanies, to use historian Mircea Eliade’s term, always occur at the most ordinary moments—whether it be while, as a four-year–old, I am inspecting a deer-gnawed twig in the snow in a forest in Belchertown, Massachusetts, or nearly twenty years later, while I am washing and peeling potatoes for potato soup, when I suddenly become aware of the millions of others who have peeled and removed eyes from potatoes, or who will go on doing so in the future. At this particular moment, I think of the millions of Irish women who had prepared potatoes as I was now doing, whose families had subsisted on potatoes for generations, who themselves suffered evictions, unemployment, dispossession, malnutrition, and starvation during the Great Famine. It was this ordinary task of scrubbing potatoes that connected me to these women, that offered me a faint intimation of their unrecorded lives.”
Iain, you are me new favorite neuroscientist after Oliver Sacks, known as The Cherub in our household for decades and one of my favorite human beings who ever lived.
I am savoring each luminous word and coruscating idea in “The Master and His Emissary” right now after having gulped down “Ways of Attending.” Nearly finished and looking forward to continuing my peregrination through your work.
I wanted to make sure you saw this Note I posted in reply to your contemplation of the decline of humor:
You did request a dig in the ribs about the topic, which I agree is massively important, although it’s not yet a month, so you have time :-)
I would be elated to discuss this and other topics with you in a leisurely written Dissident Dialogue paced at your own convenience and inspiration, whether it begin a month from now or a year from now or beyond.
If you are interested in doing a DD or simply saying hello, please reach out to me via Chat or sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll follow up once I’ve gotten sufficient sleep. If you do the latter, I would be more than honored to comp you a subscription so you can access the first link above or anything else you so desire (in your ample spare time ;-)
Warmest gratitude to you for what I feel may be the most significant neuroscientific research of the twenty-first century. And I love how you weave in poetry, art, music, philosophy, psychology, and other disciplines in your right-hemispheric epistemological way, as I do in my own work.
All the best Iain in your search. It seems as if there are some willing helpers already, and you will find your reproduction of this most beautiful icon. I think perhaps when you do, if you would let us know, others may like to have it as well - I know I would. Thank you so much for bringing it to your readers, I love it. And I am very moved by the prayer and will use it myself when I greet the morning each day. Thank you.
How amazing is it that you received this in a postcard and that it means so much to you? I wish I could be of assistance tracking it down. I have forwarded this article to a friend who is exploring Orthodox religions, and perhaps she might have some idea of where to look.
That is a really interesting and intriguing icon. I think it would take me all afternoon to truly peruse it fully.
An afternoon...and a lifetime.
Iain, take a screen shot of the image and do a Google Image Search. When I did that I got two hits on the exact image, one of which has much more information about where the icon comes from and where it can be found. Both hits are in modern Greek, but can be set to "translate." Another thing you can do from this page is enlarge the image and make a large image JPeg of it. Then you can take it to any photo shop and have them print it in any size you like on any kind of paper, and frame it. I have done that before for images of John Sell Cotman watercolors that are not available commercially. You could of course do this with your original postcard as well.
The two hits to which you refer, I'm assuming:
https://toeilhtarion.blogspot.com/2015/08/blog-post_7.html
https://www.facebook.com/100070312655184/posts/670246788662404/
There might not be a reproduction, but there are a lot of good iconographers out there that will make custom icons from a picture you provide. Many monasteries for example do this. I recently visited one here in California, and you just give them the picture and the specifications (size, material, etc) and they will have their iconographer make it. There are also websites: uncutmountainsupply.com and legacyicons.com are just two I know of, but there are plenty of independent iconographers that will create a custom icon for you. Or ask Jonathan Pageau :P
Seconded. I have an icon of St. John Chrysostom I ordered when I was in Greece a long time ago. He is a treasured friend of the household.
Thank you for sharing this icon and prayer. They are both incredibly encouraging.
I wish I could help, but I don't know where to find one. Hope you are able to acquire it soon.
This is what ChatGPT in deep research mod got. I guess the best option is to contact somehow the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina:
Christ the Judge (1773) — Ioannis Athanasiou
Byzantine Museum of Ioannina
Description of the Icon
Title: Christ the Judge
Painter: Ioannis Athanasiou of Kapesovo
Date: November 18, 1773
Medium: Egg tempera on wood, gold leaf, and modern pigments (e.g. Prussian blue)
Dimensions: 125.5 × 91 cm
Collection: Byzantine Museum of Ioannina (formerly Zosimaia School)
Inventory: Listed as “Jesus Christ the Judge” (cat. no. 27)
Iconography
Christ is seated in judgment at the center in a classic Deësis scene.
Flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist in intercession.
Surrounded by hosts of saints, apostles, prophets, and angels.
A blue starry realm below His feet, with sun and moon, representing cosmic judgment.
Notable for brilliant scarlet and gold tones, detailed gilding, and rich iconographic layering.
Inscription (in Greek)
1773, (ε)ζωγράφισθη η αγία εικόνα δια χειρός ταπεινού Ιωάννου Αθανασίου Καπεσοβίτου εν μηνί Νοεμβρίω 18
(Painted in 1773 by the humble hand of Ioannis, son of Athanasios, from Kapesovo, on November 18)
Painter: Ioannis Athanasiou (fl. 1760s–1800s)
From Kapesovo, a village in the Zagori region of Epirus.
Trained by his father, the monk-painter Athanasios.
Later collaborated with his son Anastasios (Anagnostis).
Headed a major itinerant painting workshop that decorated numerous Epirote churches.
His work blends:
Traditional Byzantine iconography (egg tempera, hierarchical composition)
18th-century influences (Baroque scrollwork, modern pigments)
Known works include wall frescoes and portable icons in Tsepelovo, Negades, Aristi, Zitsa, and more.
Significance of the Icon
A key example of post-Byzantine Epiriote religious art.
Demonstrates technical innovation:
Use of Prussian blue (early modern synthetic pigment)
Rich gold-powder gilding
Stylistically transitional: merges Orthodox canon with neo-Baroque ornamentation.
Reflects the artistic tastes of cosmopolitan Orthodox patrons in Ottoman Epirus.
Provenance
Originally part of the Zosimaia Academy collection in Ioannina.
Donated to the Byzantine Museum of Ioannina.
Currently exhibited in a carved wood proskynetarion with elaborate floral motifs.
Reproductions and Resources
Museum and Archives
Hellenic Ministry of Culture – National Archive of Monuments (Mobile Monuments Collection)
Contains an official entry and preview image.
Byzantine Museum of Ioannina – Holds the icon as part of its permanent display.
Photography: Eleni Eliadis (as credited on postcard)
Scholarly Sources
Kovala-Demertzi et al., “Pigment identification in a Greek icon…”
Journal of Cultural Heritage 13 (2012): 107–113
Includes pigment analysis, close-up images, and conservation study.
Four Historic Cities in the Western Balkans (2012), p. 93
Mentions Athanasiou and the Zosimaia School’s artistic heritage.
Greek blogs and archives (e.g. Peri Technis, Academy of Athens) document the Kapesovo painting lineage.
Further Reading
On the School of Northwestern Greece and post-Byzantine art in Epirus.
Velimezis Collection (includes icons attributed to Athanasiou).
Local Epirus church inventories and travel guides to museum holdings.
🙏
Beautiful! I definitely see Eastern influence there, and interestingly, the drapery is just slightly reminiscent of some Northwest Coastal Indigenous art conventions. I hope you find what you're looking for.
I also see an Eastern influence - the knot at his waist reminds of the ones on Buddhist's priests' robes, and the row upon row of attendees reminds of the "1000 Faces" design enameled on Asian porcelain. However the composition is very symmetrical, and Asian's favor asymmetry.
If you elect to get your image reproduced, I recommend the Giclee process - astonishingly accurate and realistic.
I have an historical Russian Icon, painted on wood, of St. Nicholas - also with applied gold, but not even approaching the glowing abundance depicted on "yours." Perhaps, in some mystical way, Bonhoeffer participates in that all pervasive, ongoing, glow.
Here is my little collection of Orthodox icons on glass (gold foil technique): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/5hygpcxvgyrj3duyji2jj/ALjiQx2fJDNE4V52gDtejC0?rlkey=ppj527mhus5lz7cyalf95pqe1&st=k6k1tsyq&dl=0
My wife, who is an iconographer, looked at this photo and sees that it has a resolution of 1604 x 2195, so good quality. When she has photos of her icons done, she prints them as a plaque or giclee print at iprintfromhome.com. She also uses Bay Photo (bayphoto.com) who can print on various substrates including metal, wood, paper etc. There are probably equivalents in UK. Also, a person who has very deep knowledge about icons and their provenance is David Coomler who you can get in touch with by posting a comment (only goes to him) on his blog “Icons and Their Interpretation” (https://russianicons.wordpress.com). He may be able to help you get in touch with the museum or others. Enjoying your new book The Matter With Things. Jim, Atlanta
Many iconographers are coming to our Orthodox Arts and Food Festval May2-4 (also featuring Jonathan Pageau. Richard Rohlin and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick). Their websites are listed on our festival website. They would be happy to do a custom piece: www.orthodoxartsfestivaldfw.com
You might also ask fellow Substacker Hillary White of The Sacred Images Project, she recognized the icon right away. Good luck!
I have nothing to offer regarding the icon itself, but a wonderful book about the Oriental threads in Christianity in general is “Christ the Eternal Tao.” It’s a beautifully poetic and I would dare to say much more right-hemisphere treatment of Christianity than what we’re generally accustomed to, with many beautiful Oriental works of art gracing its pages. It was very instrumental to me on my own spiritual journey and so I never miss an opportunity to recommend it. (This is the first time I’ve ever even commented on Substack!) https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Eternal-Tao-Hieromonk-Damascene/dp/1887904239/
Cheers to your first post! 🥳
Excellent recommendation!
Thank you for sharing this! That is a beautiful and humble prayer by Bonhoeffer. It reminds me of Chrysostom’s Paschal homily, which will be proclaimed around the world in a little over a week.
This made me cry.
Me too
What an unexpected and fascinating posting from you!
I’m sorry I don’t have an answer to your question about this unusual and I would agree Asian-influenced icon. I am typing this on my phone after three hours of sleep and am about to try for more so am not in a position to research it, but it sounds like you’ve already done what I would have tried.
I can see why you so resonate with Gerard Manley Hopkins, whom I, too, have always found a kindred, from my first published essay in 1998, where I write:
“The very thought that you can find, can experience the holy, the presence of God—‘inscape’ as Hopkins would call it—in a pomegranate, in a bowl of—as Zooey would say—Bessie’s ‘consecrated chicken soup,’ or in one of Hopkins’s bluebells is an idea that has been rattling around in my head for years. I have experienced it periodically throughout my life, this sensation and awareness of something sputtering and simmering beneath the surface. And these hierophanies, to use historian Mircea Eliade’s term, always occur at the most ordinary moments—whether it be while, as a four-year–old, I am inspecting a deer-gnawed twig in the snow in a forest in Belchertown, Massachusetts, or nearly twenty years later, while I am washing and peeling potatoes for potato soup, when I suddenly become aware of the millions of others who have peeled and removed eyes from potatoes, or who will go on doing so in the future. At this particular moment, I think of the millions of Irish women who had prepared potatoes as I was now doing, whose families had subsisted on potatoes for generations, who themselves suffered evictions, unemployment, dispossession, malnutrition, and starvation during the Great Famine. It was this ordinary task of scrubbing potatoes that connected me to these women, that offered me a faint intimation of their unrecorded lives.”
(https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/from-the-archives-my-first-published)
… to my more recent turning toward “Pitched Past Pitch of Grief” after losing my husband shockingly suddenly last July:
• “I’ve Lost Half of Me: Pitched Past Pitch of Grief” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/ive-lost-half-of-me-pitched-past)
Iain, you are me new favorite neuroscientist after Oliver Sacks, known as The Cherub in our household for decades and one of my favorite human beings who ever lived.
I am savoring each luminous word and coruscating idea in “The Master and His Emissary” right now after having gulped down “Ways of Attending.” Nearly finished and looking forward to continuing my peregrination through your work.
I wanted to make sure you saw this Note I posted in reply to your contemplation of the decline of humor:
• https://substack.com/@margaretannaalice/note/c-104761910
You did request a dig in the ribs about the topic, which I agree is massively important, although it’s not yet a month, so you have time :-)
I would be elated to discuss this and other topics with you in a leisurely written Dissident Dialogue paced at your own convenience and inspiration, whether it begin a month from now or a year from now or beyond.
Here are some examples of past ones:
• CJ Hopkins: https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-cj-hopkins
• Naomi Wolf: https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-dr-naomi-wolf
• Meredith Miller: https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-meredith-miller-1-4
If you are interested in doing a DD or simply saying hello, please reach out to me via Chat or sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll follow up once I’ve gotten sufficient sleep. If you do the latter, I would be more than honored to comp you a subscription so you can access the first link above or anything else you so desire (in your ample spare time ;-)
Warmest gratitude to you for what I feel may be the most significant neuroscientific research of the twenty-first century. And I love how you weave in poetry, art, music, philosophy, psychology, and other disciplines in your right-hemispheric epistemological way, as I do in my own work.
All the best Iain in your search. It seems as if there are some willing helpers already, and you will find your reproduction of this most beautiful icon. I think perhaps when you do, if you would let us know, others may like to have it as well - I know I would. Thank you so much for bringing it to your readers, I love it. And I am very moved by the prayer and will use it myself when I greet the morning each day. Thank you.