THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Recent advancements in crime-solving methodologies have been applied to a medieval illuminated manuscript in Paris, potentially unraveling a long-standing mystery: the true identity of a prominent Byzantine painter known for infusing a distinct sense of humanity into the rigid nature of Orthodox religious art.
This artist, often referred to as Manuel Panselinos, was a contemporary of Giotto, who is celebrated as the father of Western painting. Panselinos was equally influential, though his contributions belong to a different artistic tradition that has largely gone unnoticed in the Western world.
Little is known about Panselinos’s life, and some scholars believe that the name might merely be a nickname that over time replaced the original name of the artist it referred to—most likely Ioannis Astrapas, hailing from Thessaloniki, a city in northern Greece.
The rich tradition of Byzantine art, which adorns churches throughout Greece, Serbia, and other Orthodox nations, is characterized by the stylized depictions of elongated saints, geometric landscapes, and expressive Madonnas. Works accredited to Panselinos, dating back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries, are considered some of the finest creations in an empire that existed from the fall of Rome until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
Art historians have long speculated that the name “Panselinos,” which translates to “full moon” in Greek, may have originated as a nickname connected to the famed Macedonian School of painting based in Thessaloniki. Recent research led by a Greek monk and linguistics expert has linked Panselinos to the painter Astrapas. Notably, handwriting analysis by court expert Christina Sotirakoglou found similarities between the writing style of a manuscript attributed to Astrapas and that seen in a church painting in northern Greece, historically regarded as Panselinos’s masterpiece.
Father Cosmas Simonopetritis, a former senior administrator of Mount Athos, where the Protato church is located, asserts that the findings from Sotirakoglou’s research—and his own—provide compelling evidence of Panselinos’s true identity. “Panselinos was indeed a real individual; the name was simply a nickname for Ioannis Astrapas,” he explained to The Associated Press.
Despite not being involved in these studies, Constantinos Vafiadis, a professor of Byzantine art in Athens, supported the transformation of the name narrative and the link to Astrapas. He noted that multiple artists seemed to have collaborated on the Protato church project, indicating further research is warranted to fully understand the contributions of these painters from that era.
The legacy of “Panselinos,” who served as a role model for many generations of artists, represents a renaissance within Orthodox art that revitalized ancient artistic methods and techniques. This revival led to a more profound portrayal of human emotions, enhanced attention to proportions, and the use of depth in compositions.
Father Cosmas describes Astrapas as an “extremely gifted painter” whose extensive knowledge allowed him to harmoniously blend ancient classical motifs with Orthodox Byzantine spirituality. “This unique combination renders his work exceptional on a global scale,” he added.
While artist signatures were rare in that period, some examples remain from the Astrapas family. However, no signatures exist for “Panselinos.” The investigation began with previously established connections linking Astrapas to a scholar who authored and illustrated the Marcian Codex GR 516, a 14th-century Greek text covering diverse subjects, which included painted illustrations of a full moon.
“To me, that was the principal proof,” stated Father Cosmas. The next phase was to align the handwriting style of the manuscript with that found on the Protato painting attributed to “Panselinos.” Sotirakoglou, whose expertise lies in identifying and authenticating handwriting in criminal aspects, meticulously analyzed photographs of the Protato paintings, as women have been prohibited from entering Mount Athos for over a millennium.
“It was quite challenging,” she recounted. “The wall writing employed capital letters, which made it difficult since the painters adhered to a standardized format, similar to how individuals may disguise their handwriting in anonymous letters. In contrast, the Marcian Codex was written in small lowercase characters.”
The initial breakthrough emerged with the Greek letter Phi. “This particular Phi stands out and is similar in both the manuscript and the Protato painting,” she explained. “After that, further matches were identified with other letters like T, known for its larger proportions, and K, with its distinctive curves.”
“Once the Phi was recognized, it unraveled the complexities of the writing, significantly easing the task,” she noted. Father Cosmas shared that his daily attendance at services in the Protato church fueled his curiosity to demystify the identity of Panselinos, asserting that the artist has finally received recognition for his true identity.
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Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece.
