Φορητές εικόνες του Διονυσίου του εκ Φουρνά των Αγράφων και του εργαστηρίου του στις Σέρρες

The hieromonk Dionysios of Fournas in the Agrafa, who was born c.1670, was the theoretical exponent of the artistic trend that returned to the artof the Paleologues. Between 1728 and 1733, he also wrote the Painter’s Manual and was at the same time working as a painter both of murals and ofportable icons.The subject of this paper is a number of unsigned portable icons byDionysios of Fournas and his workshop which are located on the templon ofSt Marina and St Antony Church in Serres. Specifically, they are four despotic icons of St Nicolas, St Athanasios, St Anthony and St Marina, and twelveepistyle icons of the Great Deesis with the twelve apostles. An icon of St Basil, which is exhibited in the Ecclesiastical Museum ofSerres Dioces, belongs to the same group and it is a work of the same painter. These icons, which are ascribed on the basis of artistic criteria to Dionysios of Fournas, were painted in the first quarter of the 18th century and represent the artistic trend that sought to return to and copy the art of thesupreme painter of the Paleologean period, Manuel Panselinos, who paintedthe frescoes in the Church of Protaton (c. 1290) at Karyes on Mount Athos