651 - Icon with St Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker, with Christ and the Mother of God, probably 19th c.

Icon with St Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker, with Christ and the Mother of God, probably 19th c. Wooden panel with two shponki (slats) set into the reverse from opposite directions, tempera on gesso (levkas), on the reverse a brass-coloured hanger. St Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker as a bust against a green ground, with a red mitre edged in gold bearing two small medallion images in laurel wreaths, golden yellow nimbus, red phelonion and over it a green omophorion with golden crosses and ornamental borders, the pectoral medallion (panagia) on a chain; the right hand raised in blessing, in the left, veiled with a cloth, the closed Gospel book with golden mounts. With Cyrillic name inscription (St Nicholas the Wonderworker). In the upper corners, on clouds, Christ with cross nimbus and the Gospel book and the Mother of God in a red maphorion with the omophorion, both with name inscriptions (Miracle of Nicaea). Condition commensurate with age, brown paint splashes that have run down, small losses, scratches, cracks, 32x25.5 cm (HxW). The bust of St Nicholas of Myra (c. 270 to the mid-4th century) with blessing right hand and closed Gospel book is among the widespread Nicholas types of Russian icon painting and served above all for private devotion at home. The two half-figures on clouds represent the Miracle of Nicaea: according to tradition, Nicholas was stripped of his episcopal dignity at the Council of Nicaea after confronting Arius, whereupon Christ handed back to him the Gospel book and the Mother of God the omophorion, the bishop’s stole. The mitre identifies the Winter Nicholas (Nikola Zimny), named after the main feast on 6 December; depicted bareheaded, the same saint is called the Spring Nicholas after the feast of the translation of his relics to Bari on 9 May. The cross nimbus of Christ bears the Greek letters for “He Who Is” after Exodus 3:14, the abbreviated inscription of the Mother of God stands for God-bearer. The crosspieces (shponki) set into grooves on the reverse are intended to prevent the wooden panel from warping.