Byzantine Icon Painting

Timeline

1. c. 900–930Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireAfter the end of Iconoclasm, church and court in the early 10th century re-affirmed the theological status of icons; standards for icon production and liturgical use were gradually restored in the capital and monastic system.
2. c. 930–970Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireUnder the Macedonian dynasty, icon painting became elegant and refined in composition, line, and color; thin egg tempera layers and gold-leaf backgrounds became standard techniques, and palace and monastery workshops produced large numbers of panel icons.
3. c. 950–990Mount Athos · GreeceMonastery churches in Greece and Asia Minor had icon murals painted on their interior walls, arranging images of Christ, the Virgin, and the saints according to liturgical order, together with panel icons forming a complete Orthodox system of visual veneration.
4. c. 970–1000Ohrid · North MacedoniaByzantine icon painting styles entered Bulgaria, Serbia, and elsewhere through missions and political alliances; local churches and monasteries adopted Byzantine iconographic formulas, laying the foundation for the Orthodox icon tradition of Eastern Europe.