THE BYZANTINE AND POST-BYZANTINE WALL PAINTINGS OF CYPRUS: CONSERVATION PRACTICE IN A CONTEXT OF CONTINUING RELIGIOUS USE

Abstract

Cyprus is famous for its heritage of Byzantine and post-Byzantine wall paintings. Considered as a whole, these paintings represent a notable continuity of tradition, with regard to their architectural settings, iconography, religious meaning and technology. Consistency also extends to the ways in which they survive, the types of deterioration and damage that affect them, and approaches to their conservation. Examined more closely, however, inevitable differences provoke a range of issues and responses. These include: the nature and value of later repainting in relation to earlier painting; types of losses and their effect on image legibility; and the limitations that aspects of condition and differing technology place on cleaning expectations. Since 1992, the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus has collaborated with the Courtauld Institute of Art in London to conserve a number of painted churches. This contribution examines some of the recurring issues that relate to conservation practice in a context of continuing religious use.