Eastern Europe, Russia, ca. late 19th century CE. A beautiful, gold-leafed icon painted using egg tempera on wood, depicting Saint Nicholas. He stands dressed in fingery, with a red, gold-lined cloak, a long blue robe, and a rounded bishop's cap. He has a long beard and his head is in front of his magnificent mandorla. He holds a book in his left hand with his right raised in a gesture of blessing. Behind him is a beautiful and evocative scene of a garden with tall, flowering trees, and a walled, white city. Two smaller saints flank him on the broad border of the icon, while Christ looks down on him from the parted clouds of heaven. Size: 10.5" W x 12.5" H (26.7 cm x 31.8 cm)

Nicholas, a Greek bishop of Myra, Anatolia in the 4th century and one of the most beloved saints of the church, who served as an intercessor, performing miracles of healing and rescue, has an interesting history. A strong opponent of the heretical bishop Arius at the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas, after slapping Arius in the face, was denied 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, Saint Nicholas is portrayed as a staunch champion of the Christian faith, a defender against heresy, and a healer.

Icons (icon means "image" in Greek) are sacred objects within the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition. Found in homes as well as churches, these painted images depict holy persons and saints as well as illustrate scenes from the Scriptures. Some icons are encased in precious metal covers (oklads) adorned with pearls and semi-precious stones or glass-fronted wooden cases (kiots). Some are framed with silver basma. The artist of this example elected to create an intricate border in gold leaf and rich red and blue hues to honor the religious iconography it surrounds. Icons are not worshiped, but are instead venerated for their ability to focus the power of an individual's prayer to God. As such they are truly "windows into heaven."

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

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#119498

Normal surface wear commensurate with age, including some losses to the glaze along the edges. Nice craquelure. Two small holes drilled into the front near the head as shown. Wired for suspension. No back slats.