The purpose of this book is to combine the knowledge of the past with today's materials. It is for future and current iconographers to see how to create something whose lifespan surpasses the images of our ancestors, as our generation has the luxury of using all modern means. Various rare techniques and methods for artificially aging the image are also presented.

By the end of the book, the reader will be able to understand the methods of construction and it will be entirely up to their conscience to use the correct methods or "the easy way" of deception.

The knowledge contained in this book is the result of thousands of hours of practice in the field, experimentation, discussions with iconographers, laypeople, and monks, as well as with related craftsmen such as carpenters, goldsmiths, and painters, since most arts seem to be interconnected, with image conservators and, of course, the result of extensive bibliography study.

"Amateur iconographer" means "lover of art," while the term "professional artist" tends to mean in our days the artist of mass-produced and consumed works.