The painters of Samarina constitute one of the largest and longest-lasting artistic groups of the late Ottoman period. The first painters from Samarina to sign their works by mentioning their place of origin appeared in the late 18th century. During the 19th century, the number of painters from Samarina increased dramatically, and members of these “artistic” families continued their work into the early decades of the 20th century.

The painters worked in groups—teams known as “companionships”—and were usually organized on the basis of family ties, kinship, and shared ancestry. Their activities spread remarkably across almost the entire Balkan Peninsula! In Greece, their reach extended from the northern Peloponnese, continued through western Central Greece, Epirus, Thessaly, and Macedonia, while in today’s neighboring countries—which were once part of the unified territory of the Ottoman Empire—their activities are intense in Albania and North Macedonia and limited in Bulgaria.

During the period spanning from the late 18th century to the first decades of the 20th century, a total of 121 painters from Samaria were identified and documented as having created mural cycles and icons in the aforementioned regions. This is a particularly impressive number of painters—perhaps one of the largest groups of artists originating from the same artistic workshop—a fact that also attests to the preservation of a strong post-Byzantine tradition, adapted to the conditions of the time.