Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (A Guide to Imagery) [Paperback]

Alfredo Tradigo (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Guide to Imagery | Publication Date: September 1, 2006

An icon (from the Greek word "eikon," "image") is a wooden panel painting of a holy person or scene from Orthodox Christianity, the religion of the Byzantine Empire that is practiced today mainly in Greece and Russia. It was believed that these works acted as intermediaries between worshipers and the holy personages they depicted. Their pictorial language is stylized and primarily symbolic, rather than literal and narrative. Indeed, every attitude, pose, and color depicted in an icon has a precise meaning, and their painters--usually monks--followed prescribed models from iconographic manuals.
The goal of this book is to catalogue the vast heritage of images according to iconographic type and subject, from the most ancient at the Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai to those from Greece, Constantinople, and Russia. Chapters focus on the role of icons in the Orthodox liturgy and on common iconic subjects, including the fathers and saints of the Eastern Church and the life of Jesus and his followers. As with other volumes in the Guide to Imagery series, this book includes a wealth of color illustrations in which details are called out for discussion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfredo Tradigo is the artistic director and art critic for Famiglia Cristiana magazine and has devoted thirty years to research on Christian iconography.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum; 1 edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892368454
• ISBN-13: 978-0892368457
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Arts & Photography > Religious
  • #40 in Books > History > Europe > Italy
  • #45 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Saints

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Little Disappointed, December 27, 2007

By 

C. G. Moore (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (A Guide to Imagery) (Paperback)

Although I agree with most of the comments made by the others who have offered critiques, I don't believe this book deserves a 5 star rating. This book has a lot of beautiful icons, and I enjoyed learning about the meaning of the imagery. There is high value in the diverse collection of beautiful icons. The book had three flaws that disturbed my enjoyment of the book:

1) Icons are tied together by some general imagery. I am fairly ignorant with regards to icon imagery, but I know a little. For example, the use of the mandorla. A mandorla (round or almond shaped device behind an image) is used to mark something that can only be seen through the eyes of faith. The general meaning of colors like blue and red on the icons of Mary and Jesus, as well. A short guide explaining some of these general rules of imagery would have been a spectacular aid to those, like myself, who are woefully ignorant on the topic.

2) The author expresses some theology in language that is inaccurate and likely confusing for the non-Orthodox Christian reader. For example, he uses the word "worship" to describe the Orthodox veneration of icons. Icons are never worshipped. Worship is for God alone. For the reader seeking to understand the Mystery of Orthodox icons, this would be a devastating and confusing statement. Icons are venerated (greatly honored), never worshiped. The teaching is that this veneration passes to the person represented in the image.

3) The book was so small it was difficult to see some of the details in the imagery that the author was trying to illustrate.

Overall, a very interesting and educational book with a wealth of knowledge about iconography, however, it could have been much better.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great value!, January 3, 2007

By 

E. M. Tennessen (The Windy City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (A Guide to Imagery) (Paperback)

I bought this book because I am interested in icons and wanted more than the few images that are usually featured in books about icons. Well, this volume has HUNDREDS, all arranged by saints and persons of the church. It's a great value for the price. The images are clear and colorful and printed on glossy paper. There is a minimum of words in this book, which I liked because I wanted the images, but there is enough explanation to understand the context and the creation of the image. The book is a small and chunky paperback, and I can predict that I might break the spine if I use the book overmuch, but I recommend this book anyway because of the wealth of images. I am very happy with this book.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME Value., June 12, 2007

By 

BENJAMIN GEORGE (Richmond, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church (A Guide to Imagery) (Paperback)

Good things: For the price, this book has a way more bang for the buck than most icon books. Look at the number of pages, and each of them has an icon. The paper is very nice, glossy and heavy. The icons are explained in depth, with indications of the meaings of each part, and a short history of the icon.

Nitpicks: I wish the book were a little larger, but then again I say that about all icon books. Also, I seriously wish someone would include Ethopian and Coptic and other Church icons in some of these books, especially one this size and this thorough. There were tons of the standard Byzantine/Greek/Russian icons, some of them redundant, which could have had some Syrian/Ethopian/Coptic/Arabic etc icons in there too. But these nitpicks aren't reason to not buy the book, or even deduct a star.