Bronze and Copper Icons

Abstract Byzantine copper alloy icons were created by repoussé and casting. The repoussé group varies in size and were used as individual icons and decoration for liturgical furniture and lintels. They imitate precious metal icons, occasionally plated to look like silver or with imitation gems in their frames. Cast icons, smaller and heavier, probably served as portable icons or magic tokens; some might have been used as dies or mold matrices. In iconography, inscriptions, and style, copper icons imitate contemporary pieces in other media. Most feature single figures; fewer display scenes. Varying from elegant to crude, they could be made affordable by molds, stamps, or dies. More study of the cast pieces, along with other bronze items, remains to be done.