What's Behind An Icon?

I think it is fair to say that months of hard work and many hours of devout prayer are "behind" every icon you might encounter. There is a blessing at the altar, prayers and dedication of the icon to its service as a witness to Christ.

In another sense, in an Orthodox church, the area behind the icon screen or iconostasis is called the sanctuary. The nave is where the parishioners stand or sit. This is the view from the nave of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church.

But my question (in the title of this blog) was intended to be a more prosaic one. You normally see the front of icons in photos or in person. So some people wonder what the back looks like. I did. You can't just walk up and take one down to look at it, can you? So ...

Question? What does the back of an icon look like?

Answer? It varies. Let's take a look. [click on any image throughout this blog to enlarge it]

On many icons you will see a pair of reinforcing slats that were intended to reduce curvature of the main board. These have proven to be fairly ineffective, and the boards still curve. That means some of the slats will be loose or will have fallen out over the years.

Notice the evidence of wood-eating creatures in the icons above. Usually they are long dead, but it's worth checking closely because they can eat away much of the structure of the board.

Here are three of my icons of the Archangel Michael (the fronts are seen in the previous blog post).

The back may or may not be finished in any way. Iconographers rarely signed their works, as it is a bit self-assertive to do so. Here are two modern boards. On the left the artist did sign the back; on the right she did not give her name, but put the origin of the icon and name and logo of her studio (plus the web address).

Since many of the boards I own come from dealers, it's not unusual to find labels, notes, custom stamps and price information stuck on the back of the icon. I tend to leave all those intact.

Sometimes you will find that the icons boards will have gesso on the back as well as the front. Gesso is a plaster coating which makes the icon heavier, thicker, stronger, and more resistant to moisture changes and curving. Here are two of mine that are finished in this way.

Occasionally you find an icon with writing from the period of its creation. Although I can't read what is written, I still find these exciting. The one on the right not only has writing, the writing is on an original linen cloth that is tacked to the outer edges of the icon.

Here's the front of the icon with the cloth on its back:

Finally, I'll close this post with a triptych, which is a 3-panel folding icon that has both front and back sides on all three panels. Mary is just visible looking out at us from the center of this partially-open triptych.

Ways to Display Icons

Icons are often affixed to an icon screen (in a church), hung on the wall, or placed on a shelf. Special icons might be in a glass case, or in a specially-made frame, or on a pole (for carrying in a procession). These beautifully-framed icons are at the Temple Gallery.

Most of our icons are leaning on a shelf. A few are hanging from a hook on the back. I've personally never added a hook to one of my icons; I have only reused some that were already in place. I'm afraid of injuring the older boards.

One large icon is clamped lightly between the top and bottom of an artist's easel. I used museum putty on the top so there is some expansion space if either of the wood items expands or contracts.

Several of my brass icons are attached to a dictionary stand using museum putty, to prevent them sliding or falling off when it is moved around.

I've considered a more elaborate hanging system, but for now I have been content to have them on shelves or a counter.

Here are some free-standing frames made by Dylan Hartley, called icon thrones. They allow an icon to be placed away from the walls, in the center of a large space.

A few weeks ago, when looking for icon boards, I spotted an item called an icon shrine. Here's an image, from St. John's Workshop, the folks who make them.

I supposed that these could be used inside a home as well as outdoors at a retreat center or on church grounds. I went on searching for other items that I needed.

A few days later I got a call from someone who manages the inventory of set pieces, costumes and other items at a local theatre. He offered me a piece they didn't expect to use again. It had been in the back of the warehouse for 18 years ...

Suddenly I had an enormous icon shrine or throne (or Lutheran church altar). It sat on my front porch for several days as I wondered what I should do with it.

It's 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide (3 m x 2 m). The bottom front had been burnt by candles and the paint was peeling. I spent some time removing spiders and loose nails, wiping off dust and debris and cleaning everything. The side pieces are not attached, just put in place for the photo.

Rather than restore this piece, I just barely repainted a few small small sections until I had matched the color and reduced the impression of the burned areas. I didn't want to make it look new, just like it was loved and appreciated.

Then I tried various icons. They all appeared too small or inappropriate. The icon inside this shrine must be the right scale and a single figure, I think. This image came to my mind (photo from Wikipedia Commons). The Pantocrator from St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, Egypt.

I knew where I could find one to borrow, so after some prayer and consideration I asked for the temporary loan of a partially-completed icon of Christ Pantocrator. I'm pleased with the icon's nearly-finished state of completion, even though the halo gold leaf is not yet applied.

Here's how it looks now:

I think it looks wonderful. I found a matching "altar cloth" to put under the icon, and mounted a small icon of the Mother of God underneath. Now we need to find a safe way to light the icon.