CyI’s Imaging Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (ICACH)* applied Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) photography on three celebrated paintings of Cretan artist Domenikos Theotokopoulos (1541-1614), known as El Greco during his illustrious career in Spain. CyI researchers Nikolas Bakirtzis and Ropertos Georgiou were invited to document the paintings, recently exhibited in Nicosia (Oct.- Nov. 2012), in the context of the Institute’s close collaboration with the Leventis Municipal Museum.

This effort was also supported by the institutions owning the three works of art: The Benaki Museum in Athens, the Historical Museum of Crete and the Syros Metropolis. Project results are expected to offer new, detailed evidence and valuable observation on El Greco’s works; as such they will be presented and published in the appropriate scholarly venues underlining CyI’s expert contribution in the cross-disciplinary study and preservation of artistic heritage.

This successful collaboration highlights CyI’s recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Leventis Municipal Museum to pursue collaborative activities and initiatives related to research and education in the study of Nicosia, as well as, to promote the role and importance of Science and Technology in the study of archaeology and Cypriot Cultural Heritage.

*ICACH is developed jointly by STARC and CaSToRC in the context of EU project LinkSCEEM-2.