THESSALONIKI, Greece — Crime-solving techniques applied to a medieval illuminated manuscript in Paris may have solved a centuries-old puzzle — the true identity of a leading Byzantine artist who introduced humanity to the harsh sanctity of Orthodox religious art.
Giotto’s contemporary, considered the father of Western painting, the artist known as Manuel Pancelinas, was equally influential in a very different tradition, largely forgotten in the West.
But nothing is known about his life, and scientists now believe that Panselinos was just a nickname that over time replaced the real name of the person for whom it was coined – probably Ioannis Astrapas from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
Byzantine art, which adorns churches throughout Greece, Serbia and other Orthodox countries, is distinguished by the austere formalism of its elongated, beaming saints, quasi-cubist mountains and doe-eyed Madonnas.
The works attributed to Panselinus of the late 13th and early 14th centuries are considered the best of the empire, which spanned Europe and Asia and lasted from the fall of Rome to the capture of the capital of the empire, Constantinople, by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
Art historians have long suspected that the name – Greek for “full moon” – could have come from the nickname of a member of the so-called Macedonian school of painting, which was based in Thessaloniki.
Recent research by a Greek monk and linguist has linked “Pancelinos” to the Macedonian school painter Astrapus. Now, forensic handwriting expert Cristina Satirakoglu has compared the inscriptions on the manuscript, tentatively attributed to Astrapas, with symbols from a church mural in northern Greece, long considered Pancelin’s best work.
Father Kosmos Simonapetritis, a former senior administrator at Mount Athos, the semi-autonomous monastic community where the church of Protata stands, says Satirakoglu’s research and his own research “clearly prove” Panselin’s true identity.
“Pancelinas was a real person, and it was just a nickname that Yanis Astrapas became known by,” he told the Associated Press.
Constantinos Vafiadis, a professor of Byzantine art in Athens who was not involved in the research, said he found merit in the theory of the nickname and the connection to Astrop, even though it appeared that more than one painter was involved in the Protato project.
“I agree with the attribution of part of the murals to Ioannis Astrop – he said. – But again, there are many grounds for future research of this person, because other monuments of Athos of the same period have not yet been sufficiently published.”
“Pancelinos” is a role model for generations of painters – and his contemporaries are associated with the renaissance in Orthodox art, which revives the forms and techniques inherited from antiquity. Facial expressions acquired a deeper humanity, more attention was paid to proportions and depth of field in the composition.
Father Cosmos said that Astrapas was “an extremely talented painter…with extensive knowledge who harmoniously combined the ancient, classical world with orthodox Byzantine spirituality.”
“And this … makes his work unique in the whole world,” he added.
Artist signatures were not common at the time, although some survive from members of the Astrapas family. There are none from “Panselinos”.
The trail began with earlier research linking Astrapas to the artist and scientist who wrote and illustrated Codex Martianus GR 516, an early 14th-century Greek manuscript that deals with topics from astronomy to music theory. Among the illustrations drawn was a full moon.
“For me … that was the ultimate proof,” Father Cosmo said.
After finding a name for the hand that produced the manuscript, the next step was to verify its style against the inscription on the Protato painting traditionally associated with “Panselinos.”
“Mrs. Satirakaglu, who is a handwriting expert, filled that gap,” Father Cosmo said.
There was one problem: for more than 1,000 years, women had been banned from Mount Athos.
“I was forced to study Protat’s paintings from photographs,” said Satirakaglu, who works as a forensic consultant for handwriting identification or authentication in criminal cases.
“It was very difficult because the writing on the murals is done in large letters, and the artists were subordinating their personal handwriting to fit” the traditional format, she said — more like the anonymous letter writers’ attempts to mask their true style. The Codex Marcius is written in very small lowercase letters.’
The first clue came from the Greek letter Phi, the English F.
“It’s the Phi that stands out and is similar” in both the manuscript and the Protato painting, she said. “Also coincides with the other letters, T, with proportions that are larger, covering the other letters and surmounted by a curve, the proportions of K.”
“But when Phi was discovered, the writing code was broken and the job became much easier,” she added.
Father Kosmos said that during his administrative duties on Mount Athos, he attended services in the Pratotarsky Church every day.
“This is where my desire was born … to explore the mystery surrounding the name and personality of Panselinas,” he said, adding that he believed the artist “has now acquired his true identity.”
Paphitis is reported from Athens, Greece.
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