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Study of Post-Byzantine Icon Varnishes by Chromatographic and Spectroscopic Methods

Abstract In 1997, an exhibition entitled ‘Treasures of Mount Athos’ was organized at the Byzantine Culture Museum in Thessaloniki. Among these treasures were post-Byzantine icons that required thinning of their varnish in order to be exhibited. Varnish samples were taken, using cotton swabs and a mixture of acetone (propanone) and ethanol as solvent, and kept as original control samples. A European project — PLATON, a bilateral Franco-Hellenic programme — was developed by the Universities of Athens (Greece) and Avignon (France) for the scientific study of these varnishes. The specific objective of the project was the rediscovery of the so-called ‘secrets’ of varnish preparation. In fact, recipes for varnishes such as these were described in the eighteenth century by a monk from Mount Athos, Dionysios of Fourna, and the object of our work was to evaluate these recipes. Two analytical techniques were used: infrared spectroscopy and liquid chromatography with two detectors (UV-visible and fluorimetry). After the development of an analytical corpus by studying fresh natural resins, which are usual components of varnishes, 25 samples were analysed and 24 were identified. The main conclusions were that the resinous composition identified differed from the ancient recipes recorded by Dionysios of Fourna.