Icons as Process: Embodied Knowledge and the Craft of Old Believer Orthodox Iconography

With reference to the practice of Old Believer iconography in Romania, this essay explores craft as process rather than product. That emphasis aligns with UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Drawing on the theoretical framework of Ingold. Hägerstrand, Luehrmann and others, we examine the dynamic nature of transmission as both innovative and conservative. The essay draws on original fieldwork conducted by Clopot among Old Believers in Romania. It explores the lack of opportunities to learn the craft and receive formal recognition, and engages with the role of icons in individual lives and in sacred spaces. A key dimension to our argument is the often neglected “energy flow” that is implicit in iconographic practice.