The Icon Hunter

The Icon Hunter
Author: Tasoula Georgiou Hadjitofi
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 486
Release: 2017-04-11
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1681773813

Tasoula Hadjitofi was only a child when her homeland, Cyprus, was invaded. As bombs fell and soldiers marched through the streets, her mother stood guard, reminding her children to not be afraid—not of the bombs or anything else that may follow. They would always have their family and their faith. Soon thereafter, Tasoula found herself homeless and nation-less. A refugee. Decades later, she's a successful entrepreneur and the honorary Cypriot consul to The Netherlands. But family and faith remained her touchstones—and she never lost her longing for "home." She often thought of the gorgeous Cypriot churches and their icons. One day, an art dealer offers her a chance to buy Cyprian icons stolen during the war. Icons hold a special place in the hearts of many Greek Cypriots. They are not just masterpieces—they are artistic manifestations of faith and a gateway to the divine.Outraged, Tasoula sets out on a quest to repatriate these artifacts. An immensely difficult task as icons often lack provenance in the eyes of the law. But she is determined. Yet the road to “The Munich Case”—the largest art trafficking sting in European history—is filled with mind games, subterfuge, global politics, and a shady figure named Van Rinj, whose motives are never entirely clear...

Icons of Cyprus

Icons of Cyprus
Author: Sophoklēs Sophokleous
Publisher:
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1994
Genre: Christian art and symbolism
ISBN:

The Meaning of Icons

The Meaning of Icons
Author: Léonide Ouspensky
Publisher: St Vladimir's Seminary Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1982
Genre: Christianity and art
ISBN: 091383677X

"The nature of the icon cannot be grasped by means of pure art criticism, nor by the adoption of a sentimental point of view. Its forms are based on the wisdom contained in the theological and liturgical writings of the Eastern Orthodox Church and are imtimately bound up with the experience of the contemplative life. The present work is the first of its kind to give a reliable introduction to the spiritual background of this art. The introduction into the meaning and language of the icons by Ouspensky imparts to us in an admirable way the spiritual conceptions of the Eastern Orthodox Church which are often so foreign to us, but without the knowledge of which we cannot possibly understand the world of the icon." -- Back cover.

The sensual icon

The sensual icon
Author: Bissera V
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 346
Release:
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0271035846

"Explores the Byzantine aesthetic of fugitive appearances by placing and filming art objects in spaces of changing light, and by uncovering the shifting appearances expressed in poetry, descriptions of art, and liturgical performance"--Provided by publisher.

Icons of Space

Icons of Space
Author: Jelena Bogdanović
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 581
Release: 2021-07-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000410862

Icons of Space: Advances in Hierotopy brings together important scholars of Byzantine religion, art, and architecture, to honour the work of renowned art historian Alexei Lidov. As well as his numerous publications, Lidov is well known for developing the concept of hierotopy, an innovative approach for studying the creation of sacred spaces. Hierotopy and the related concepts of ‘spatial icons’ and ‘image-paradigms’ emphasize fundamental questions about icons, including what defines them as structures, spaces, and experiences. Chapters in this volume engage with the overarching theme of icons of space by employing, contrasting, and complementing methods of hierotopy with more traditional approaches such as iconography. Examinations of icons have traditionally been positioned within strictly historical, theological, socio-economic, political, and art history domains, but this volume poses epistemological questions about the creation of sacred spaces that are instead inclusive of multi-layered iconic ideas and the lived experiences of the creators and beholders of such spaces. This book contributes to image theory and theories of architecture and sacred space. Simultaneously, it moves beyond colonial studies that predominantly focus on questions of religion and politics as expressions of privileged knowledge and power. This book will appeal to scholars and students of Byzantine history, as well as those interested in hierotopy and art history.

Cyprus

Cyprus
Author: Angel Nicolaou-Konnari
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 451
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047416244

This volume is the only scholarly work in English examining the multicultural society of the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus during the first two centuries of Frankish rule following the conquest of the Byzantine island during the Third Crusade. In this global synthesis based on original research, often in manuscripts, six chapters by acknowledged experts treat the main ethnic groups – Greeks and Franks – and the economy, religion, literature, and art of a frontier society between Byzantium, the papacy, the Crusader States, and the Islamic world. Cyprus, also home to Armenians, Syrians (Maronites, Melkites, Jacobites, Nestorians), Jews, Muslims, and others, offers an excellent opportunity to study the fascinating issues of identity construction, acculturation, and assimilation in a ethnically and religiously diverse society.