Hand-painted vs printed icons: how to tell the difference

A hand-painted icon is made by an iconographer, layer by layer, on a specially prepared wooden panel. A printed icon is a reproduction of an existing icon, made in many identical copies. Both are used in homes and churches. The difference is in who made it, how long it took, what it is made of, and whether anyone else owns the same one.

The short answer

If you can see brush marks, real gold leaf and small irregularities, and the seller can tell you who painted it, you are most likely looking at a hand-painted icon. If the surface is perfectly flat, a magnifier shows a fine pattern of dots, and the same image appears in shop after shop, it is a print.

What goes into a hand-painted icon

A traditional icon is built up over days or weeks:

1. The panel. Seasoned wood, often lime (linden), is cut and sometimes braced on the back so it stays flat.
2. The ground. A thin cloth is glued on, then many coats of gesso, a mix of chalk and animal glue, are applied and sanded to a smooth, ivory-like surface.
3. The drawing. The iconographer draws the composition following traditional models and lightly incises the main lines.
4. The gilding. Halos and backgrounds are covered with very thin gold leaf, laid before the colours.
5. The painting. Pigments, many of them mineral, are bound with egg yolk: this is egg tempera. Colours go on in thin layers, from dark to light, with the faces painted last.
6. The finish. Inscriptions are added, and once fully dry the icon is sealed with a layer of boiled linseed oil or varnish.

Not every iconographer follows every step. Some work in acrylics, use imitation gold or paint on pressed board. None of that makes an icon fake, but it is worth asking what you are buying.

The main kinds of printed icons

• Mounted prints. A paper or canvas print glued onto a wooden block, sometimes with bevelled or gilded edges.
• Prints directly on wood. The image is printed straight onto the panel and often varnished, so it can look painted at first glance.
• Screen prints finished by hand. A printed base with some details, such as gold, added by hand afterwards.
• Metal-covered icons. A silver or metal cover with openings for the faces and hands; the visible parts are usually printed.

Printed icons are common in Orthodox homes. They are affordable, available for almost any saint or feast, and a sensible way to start a prayer corner.

Five checks that take a few minutes

All you need is a window or a torch and, ideally, a small magnifier.

1. Light from the side. Hold the icon so light rakes across the surface. Paint shows ridges, stroke edges and slight changes in thickness. A print stays completely flat.
2. A closer look. Under a magnifier, a print breaks down into a regular pattern of tiny dots. Paint shows continuous colour and individual strokes.
3. The gold. Gold leaf has a deep shine and, up close, you can sometimes see where two sheets overlap. Printed or painted gold looks the same from every angle.
4. Edges and back. On a mounted print you may spot the edge of the paper at the corners. A painted icon usually shows a worked wooden panel on the back, and many iconographers sign or date it there.
5. The signature. A painted signature sits on the paint layer. A printed one is part of the image and looks just as dotted under the magnifier.

Buying an icon online: extra checks

When you cannot hold the icon, ask the listing to do the work:

• Run a reverse image search on the main photo. If the identical image appears on many shop sites, it is almost certainly a reproduction.
• Ask for more photos: one taken at an angle in daylight, a close-up of a face and of the gold, and the back of the panel.
• Ask who painted it, how long it took, and which materials were used. A seller of original work can usually answer straight away.
• Check the description for words like "print", "lithograph", "serigraph" or "on canvas mounted to wood". They describe reproductions, even when the title says "icon on wood".

Which one is right for you

A printed icon makes sense if you want a particular saint at a modest price, or several icons for different rooms.

A hand-painted icon makes sense when you want a single, lasting object: a gift for a baptism or a wedding, an icon for a new home, or one to pass down in the family. The higher price pays for the iconographer's time and materials, not only for the image.

Hand-painted icons on Art4G

Art4G is a Romanian marketplace where artists sell their own work. Every icon on Art4G is painted by hand by an iconographer; there are no printed reproductions. Each icon is signed by the iconographer who painted it. Icons are not consecrated before sale, so if you wish, you can have yours blessed at your own church once it arrives.

Browse hand-painted icons on Art4G, meet the iconographers and painters on Art4G, or read more on icons and tradition.

Image credits: „Icon of the Mother of God and Infant Christ, Angelos Akotantos, c. 1425–1450, Cleveland Museum of Art” – Wmpearl, CC0 1.0 (source).