Tin relief on thirteenth-century Cypriot wall painting: Technology and conservation.

The church of Agios Herakleidios, in the monastery of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis, a World Heritage site in the Troodos Mountains, preserves one of Cyprus's very few thirteenth-century wall painting schemes. Stylistically and technically, these paintings are distinct both from earlier, well-known twelfth-century painting schemes as well as from abundant later Cypriot painting. During the recently completed conservation programme, one of the most surprising outcomes of the related technical investigations was the identification of two types of tin foil applications, which had not been previously recorded: flat foil and cast raised work. As these are exceedingly rare in Cypriot painting, and as there are controversies surrounding the dating and origin of this technology, the findings are of particular interest. Indeed, they provide further evidence for the theory that the transmission of these technologies was from west to east, not east to west, as has often been stated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]