Wax on, wax off - Varnishing an icon with bee's wax

One of the most traditional varnishes is the a mixture of white beeswax with pure turpentine - the one that we call in Greece "keronefto"

The best part of using this material, it  the way by which the natural varnish is gets absorbed by the painting*,. The short video displays the polishing, the soft, slow and rythmic circular movement with a pure coton cloth. Exactly like :

"Wax on, wax off"

*The painting in this case is a piece of a cedar tree trunk that is used (with the minimum quantity of gesso) as a surface for the icon of Annunciation- The hollow point in the wood is where the belly/womb of Theotokos was placed. When the painting is installed light from the back passes through the hole, symbolising, Logos, the "Fruit of thy womb"