Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. 19th century CE. Finely painted in egg tempera on wood and beautifully embellished with faux enamel and gold leaf, this icon features the miracle-working Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker at center - dressed in sumptuous episcopal vestments, wearing a cross adorned omophorion, giving benediction and holding the Gospel, flanked by apparitions of Christ and the Theotokos (Mother of God). Saint Nicholas stands upon a checkerboard floor (providing linear perspective, see more below) and before an ornately decorated background, and the entire composition is framed by an attractive border featuring elegant, faux enamel floral and beaded compositions in pink, sky blue, green, black, and white hues against scrolling leafy vines in russet red with traces of gold leaf against a black ground. Additional enamelwork and gold leaf embellishes the holy figures' haloes, and more traces of gold leaf are evident in the rays radiating from Christ and the Virgin Mary. Size: 15.5" W x 17.5" H (39.4 cm x 44.4 cm)

The visages of each figure are delineated with impressive naturalism, their vestments in brilliant jewel tones, and their surrounds in intricate spiral patterns rendered in russet red with traces of gold leaf making for marvelous contrasts between figure and ground. The artist who created this icon succeeded in achieving a dynamic push-pull relationship between the more modeled forms of the figures as well as their vestments and the Byzantine-inspired flatness (intended to symbolize an ethereal quality) of their haloes, the patterned background, and the decorative faux enamel floral borders. What's more it is clear that this artist was interested in linear perspective: note how St. Nicholas stands on a checkerboard floor, a traditional device for delineating one-point perspective using a vanishing point. The floor pattern shows several elements of linear perspective - the diagonal bisectors, horizontal bisectors, and midpoints - of several squares in the floor pattern.

Further contextual background on Saint Nicholas: this saint was a strong opponent of the heretical bishop Arius at the Council of Nicaea; after slapping Arius in the face, Nicholas was stripped of his holy insignia and tossed in jail. However, Christ and the Virgin appeared to him and gave him back his freedom and his episcopal office. Here shown with a serious countenance, a high furrowed forehead, concentrating eyes framed by arched brows, and a short, gray beard, Saint Nicholas is portrayed as a staunch champion of the Christian faith, a defender against heresy, and a healer.

Provenance: ex-Francis and Lilly Robicsek collection, Charlotte, North Carolina USA

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#119530

Age crack visible on verso and faintly visible on the lower section of the image. Some areas of repainting on red linear border and dotted 'pearl' enamel detail on lower left.