The word 'icon' is usually attributed to a painting on a wooden panel for use by the Orthodox Church. While the Catholics have their Madonnas and other statues. Icons are specifically Orthodox, and subject matters range from portraits of saints to complex theological subjects.

Historically speaking, the first icons - representations of Christ and the Apostles - were painted in the 1st century and became a feature of the church of Constantinople and other Christian communities. Constantinople was founded by Constantine the great in 330 A.D. and remained the capital of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire until 1453 when it fell to the Turks. Through their likeness and depiction of saintly images icons were believed to act as mediums between the spiritual and terrestrial world and as such were blessed and venerated and entered the realm of sacred objects.

For centuries theologians argued over the correct use and function of the icon, culminating in the Iconoclast movement of the 8th century when many icons were destroyed. Between 726 and 843 the Emperors banned the production of figurative icons.

While active censorship rarely occurred, the future development of icons was greatly affected. Icons began to appear more and more two-dimensional: while he was free to express his thoughts, the artist feared persecution or the loss of his painting should it appear too realistic. Nonetheless, iconography remained under the influences of the Orthodox peoples.

All icons were painted on wood covered with a thin gesso (plaster of Paris). The selection of wood was one of the most important considerations for the painter. Most commonly used were lime, elder, birch and cypress, although cedar and pine were sometimes used for their aromatic qualities which enhanced the aura and mystery associated with the saintly images The drawing was first executed freehand in charcoal and then accentuated with a dark paint. Important works were then glided with thin sheets of gold leaf where haloes were to be inserted. On rare occasions, the total surface of the icon was gilded.

The icon was then painted with egg yolk with a few drops of vinegar coloured with the icon painter's palette of earth colours plus azurite, cinnabar, malachite and verdigris. They used graduated layers of colouring to achieve a translucency of colour characteristic of this medium. It is believed that the best brushed for this purpose were made from Russian sable - the fur on one point of the tail was collected to make the brush tips. On completion, the image was left standing to dry for us up to seven months and then was polished and varnished. As part of the spiritual tradition, most icons were then kept in a church for forty days during which time they were blessed before being taken home or presented as presents to the church of Emperor.

It has only been in the last fifteen to twenty years that museums and galleries have started to desire icons for their collections and some historians have become Byzantinologists. One of the reasons why icons have never previously been in demand is because firstly, they were never promoted and also because in the West, the Catholics would not accept them because they developed from Orthodox practises.

Today the prices for icons may range from $1000 to three quarters of a million, the value judged on the same criteria used for evaluating other paintings; the age and the quality of the paint, its rarity and beauty. Because of their function, they were never signed. The truly magnificent examples are regarded as great works of art by unknown masters.